Wealth

Every Friday I get an email from James Clear.  It contains two quotes from others.  One of them this week was by a Brunello Cucinelli who is now a billionaire entrepreneur.  He wrote about his childhood growing up on a rural farm without electricity or running water:
"Life with my parents and the other family members was natural and pleasant. Mutual support happened spontaneously and guaranteed the survival of people as well as of material and spiritual values. Until a few years ago, those bonds were so strong in the rural culture that they safeguarded ideals. The willingness to make sacrifices for others, to be able to wait for a reward, the devotion to work; for me, these are everlasting values. The joy of working together and sharing what was being produced turned work into a joyful liturgy, not a punishment. We all knew what was being done in the fields, in the garden, in the pastures, at home; planting, cultivating, raising children and helping parents. There was no wealth, but we were happy. And it makes me think: having enough is itself a form of wealth."  Source: The Dream of Solomeo
The last sentence particularly struck a chord with me.  “Having enough is itself a form of wealth.”  To me wealth is not measured in material possessions but in possessions that may not be as obvious, but are just as real.
I am not so naive as to think that food, water, and a roof over my head are unimportant.  They are.  But as I have said so often what do I need more than enough?  To me materials are a means to an end and not an end in themselves.  Maybe an ideal would be to have a lot and be happy.  That to me would be a comfortable place to be.  Yet I am not like that.  I have enough and am happy.  I don’t know what tomorrow may bring but I do know who holds tomorrow.
The quote by Brunello Cucinelli says succinctly what I feel.  Life is in the often doing of the mundane.  But the mundane assumes another level when people work together and support each other.  Not handouts but hand ups.
I would rather see a life helped then have copious dollars pressed into my hand.  Sounds idealistic but it is true.  What I have materially could be absorbed by society in a moment without a ripple.  Yet what I can give to another in kindness, compassion and a word in season can change many lives.  Changing an inner person is desired above satisfying an outer person.  Both are desirable, but one is eternal.
That to me is worth pursuing.