The wealth of the rich is their fortress;
the poverty of the poor is their destruction.Proverbs 10:15 from New Living Translation
What struck me in this verse the most is the use of the words “wealth” and “poverty” as objects of a prepositional phrases.
It’s pretty common for people to equate wealth as something that people posses, but not poverty. To present that poverty is something that one possesses would indicate that being rich and being poor has something to do with the value system, paradigm, or world view that determines if one is rich or poor.
Huh?
ok, let me try a different way.
Many people now a days view rich and poor as often a result of some magical, scratch that, outside force that the individual cannot control. They go through life not looking at wealth or poverty as something one can possess, purchase, sell, buy, etc, rather it is what you were born with, were lucky (or unlucky) to have, etc … “it’s not their fault”. Now this is not to say that 100% of the people with wealth purchased it, somebody did – at least if it was acquired though legal means – by providing either a lot of value a small number of times (to a few customers or transactions) or a lot of times (lots of customers or transactions) for a little value each time. Either way works, or somewhere in between. There is also a group who have been oppressed, and by my definition that includes living under a government that prevents opportunities, a free market, or taken advantage of by evil.
What would happen if more people took the mindset?
Well, if more people viewed wealth as possessions, that are strength in your personal financial situation, it would allow for more freedom. Less people would be virtual slaves, or modern tenant farmers and thus could pursue their true hedgehog concept, as opposed to good they could pursue greatness.
In turn more and better goods and services would be available – due to more competition.
Would everyone be a small business owner? No, my wife is working in her strength in the medical industry … she is great at what she does and a well paid employee, but part of the reason we have been able to get her to where she is is due to the good financial decisions and mindset that we have when it comes to wealth and poverty.
fortress & destruction
One of the big differences between a rich mindset and a poor one is that when issues come up, when emergencies happen, when challenges, zombies, or mobs attack – the rich have the strength to either withstand, move out of the way, or channel the situation for their benefit. The poor simply do not. It is because of the lack of debts that the rich can withstand the down times and come out stronger – because the rich see opportunities to provide more value, or get a greater return on their money they let others use.
One last note: generally I do not use the terms rich or poor, because the definitions are so irritating, but in this post, since those are the words that the verses used, if you have major issues with the specific terms, please try to look beyond them and at the meaning of the terms, that is what I did.
Part of the Proverbs Challenge series
