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Guest Article by Sarah Gentili

America Isn't Poor

I was watching a comedy show the other night with my husband and the comedian did a short skit about “depressed Americans.” He poked fun at us as a society because we think we’re so poor while other people around the world have so much less. There was a fundamental truth bared under the jokes.

We have very little perspective about hardship when compared to the rest of the world. Even if, for whatever reason, we are unable to keep steady employment; we live in a country where if we can’t pay for things, we can go out and ask for help.

Having to sell your x-box and trade in your car for an older model is not the end of the world. Neither is having to collect unemployment or get help with basic utilities. In many places across the world, if a person or family falls on hard times, they have no support network to catch them.

Many of our governmental institutions were designed with the idea of service in mind. The philosophy of helping others in need has been prevalent among the American people for generations. It is this ideal that gives me hope for the future. While I admit the rules are unclear and it is easy to work the system to your advantage, the principle of helping others is universal and one of the cornerstones that makes this country what it is. I know that many people believe the system is broken, that it’s being abused by the wrong people and has lost its shining appeal. The ideal, however, holds true.

That ideal is based on service. Something many of us were taught by our Mothers is that if we help others, it would be passed on, and when we needed help someone would be there. It is our sense of duty and service that prevents us from becoming a poor nation. While things can be very hard for many people, there will always be ways for them to improve the situation whether it is through government assistance or a neighbor or family member.

It is this ideal that many of us try to share with the rest of the world. I believe this is why so many people want to make new lives for themselves in the United States. They know it is a place where you can try to make dreams come true, but it is also a place where if you fall there is help getting back up.

For example, the world was horrified by the devastation that has shaken Haiti. All across the country the call for help went out and people answered. Even in the mist of their own troubles, people in America joined massive relief efforts to help strangers in another country.

It is easy to overlook this help, to get caught up in the chaos of a changing life in a changing world. All of us should remember to look around, appreciate what we have, and offer what help we can to others even if it is small. Never forget that the storm will pass and life will go on.

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