Net Worth

Net Worth

Maybe it’s just me, but it seems the world is getting colder and more careless. It seems to me more people are hungry than should be, and far too many are starving – even one is too many. It seems to me that there is more meanness than there should be. While the world may be getting warmer, the people who live in it are not.

I’m tired of reading about billionaires trying to outdo each other by sailing on bigger yachts or flying their private jets for mere 40-mile trips.

Perhaps I don’t understand the mesmerizing power that money holds for some… maybe that’s why I am not rich, at least when it comes to material wealth.

But who would I be if I had $ 80 billion? I will never know, but I like to think I would do a lot of good with it.

How many sick children could I provide care for? How many starving people could I feed? How many elderly folks struggling on Social Security could I help? How much good would I do if I were a billionaire?

I like to think I would challenge the current distribution of resources and strive to make the world a better place – a world where vast wealth translates directly into vast good.

I just do not understand how people can be comfortable allowing such widespread suffering to persist alongside extreme wealth. If one super-rich individual could hypothetically alleviate so much pain, why isn’t more being done by those with the actual means?

Perhaps thinking the way I do is the foundation of my mediocre income and my meager “net worth.” But I’ll tell you what, maybe the world looks at “net worth” in the wrong way. Perhaps instead of a massive amount of money and assets being the measure of a person’s net worth, perhaps a person’s true net worth should be measured by the amount of good he or she does for others.

I recently read that one of the world’s richest men said empathy is a fundamental weakness. I totally disagree. I think empathy is a sign of strength, and compassion is a building block of character.

True strength isn’t about a lack of feeling, but about the courage to feel deeply and to allow those feelings to inform action. It’s the strength to connect with another’s pain, to understand their perspective, and to be moved to help. This kind of strength builds bridges, fosters understanding, and creates resilient communities.

Compassion is empathy in action. It’s the active desire to alleviate suffering. A character built on compassion is fundamentally humane, ethical, and rooted in a deep understanding of interconnectedness. Such a character inspires and contributes to a more just and caring world.

In this world obsessed with money and net worth, we are overlooking the immeasurable, yet far more valuable, wealth of human kindness, generosity, compassion, and empathy.

Instead of calling empathy and compassion weaknesses, perhaps by embracing them, individuals and societies alike can begin to build a truer, more sustainable “net worth” – one that benefits and enriches all.

What was the net worth of Jesus?