Jack’s Winning Words 10/13/08
“If you have a dollar bill in your pocket and you don’t owe anybody any money, you’re a rich man.” (Hymie Bloom’s father) This is a quote that comes out of The Great Depression and could apply to today’s economic crisis, as well. Maybe it would be good for us to think about what it is that really makes us rich. I’ve quoted this hymn before, but it bears repeating. “Count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you, what the Lord has done.” ;-) Jack
FROM MOLINER G.S.: I used to teach personal finance. If you had any money in your pocket you were in the top 8% of the people in the world. It's probably the top 15% today. Might be back to 8% if the financial crisis keeps going on.
FROM GOOD DEBT JON: With Federal Reserve Intervention since 1913, if you have a dollar in your pocket and don’t owe anybody, you have thirteen cents worth of buying power. Imagine shares of a company you own and the management keeps printing stock certificates without adding value to the company. Your shares would be worth less (or worthless eventually) this is where we are with the Fed. The government pays back what it borrows from (T-bills) you with debased dollars. And they pay the debased money with tax dollars from you. What a system. MORE: I knew that a quote with "dollar" in it would get your attention.
Today's question was this....What is it that really makes us rich? You've dealt with that question before in your life. I think that you know the answer.
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: Most of us know what makes us really rich....and we do count our blessings each morning and evening. We thank God for our many blessings...both the ones we are aware of and the ones we aren't aware of but are most important. Thank you for reminding us to remember them! REPLY: I would change that to "MANY of us know...."
FROM PR F.M. IN WI: Or, the other old one . . . "I complained about not having any shoes, until I met a man who didn't have any feet! "
FROM MOLINER C.F.: For a person of true faith, is there anything the Lord has done that should surprise us?
FROM MOLINER CROC: You`re right on there , Jack. We all sure have many, many blessings. One of them is that we live here in the U.S.A.
2 comments:
In addition to those items, you need a smile on your face.
Rabbi Wein sent out an e-mail last week advocating we each talk to ourselves:
"The main topics of the conversation (one has with oneself) are to determine what we really want out of life and what we are willing to demand of ourselves to achieve our goals. The current worldwide economic crisis, bringing with it so many lost jobs, shrunken assets and portfolios, has perhaps concentrated our minds wonderfully to attempt to answer these existential questions."
"Yom Kippur allows us to ask ourselves, "What does God think of me, my behavior, my goals and my relations with others?"
Personally, I've been unhappy for a long time with our own economy which soaks up so many of the world's resources and exploits people all over the globe. It would have been pleasant to have had a happier solution to the justice issue than crisis or panic or whatever but it all is certainly helping us to have the dialogue with God, with ourselves with others.
Sharon
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