I am rich, just in case you were wondering.
I know, you are now trying to figure out how a middle school math teacher got rich. It is much more common to hear teachers complain about how underpaid they are. Come to think of it, it is quite common to hear just about everyone complain about how underpaid they are. Even if they don’t complain about being underpaid, they will at least let you know that they could live better with just a little more money. It is rare to hear someone talk about being rich, especially when they don’t appear to be “wealthy,” at least not how we picture “wealthy.” But the truth is, most of us reading this are actually rich, we just don’t often think of ourselves that way.
So, maybe by now you are probably starting to think a little outside the box. Some of you are thinking about my wealth in terms of family and friendships. Good thought, I am undeniably wealthy in that regard. Some of you are thinking about the riches I have stored in heaven. Again, undeniably yes, but bordering on over-spiritualizing the topic. Some of you are thinking I’ve come into an inheritance. Uh, no.
When I say that I am rich, I mean that literally. More and more I am coming to grips with the fact that, on a global scale, I have the income of a rich man. We don’t think in those terms much, but check this out - Here are some numbers for you, using the calculator at Giving What We Can :
(Note - this is not, necessarily an endorsement of this organization, but I find this tool extremely interesting. Based on my little bit of research, if there is error in these calculations, it errs on the side of underestimating our relative wealth.)
For perspective, I entered our total family income for a family of four adults. My kids are working and going to college, so, while they pay many of their own bills, there is still considerable pooling of our incomes, so it was easier just to throw it all together. Also, last year was the first time, in nearly 25 years, that both my wife and I were working full time (did I mention I have two kids in college?).
Now, before you start putting extra zeros on your guess of my income, think about this - about 80% if the world lives on less than $10 per day. Thinking in terms of yearly income, that is less than $4,000 per year (no I am not missing a zero and yes the comma is in the correct place). If you are reading this, you likely just figured out that you are easily in the top 20%, even if you are a minimum wage, part-time worker. Does that make you rich? You might argue that being in the top 20% seems like you are doing well, but that doesn’t mean you are rich.
Okay, think about this. The “poverty level” for a single adult, living in the United States was $11,770 in 2015, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. That is more than double the $4000 needed to be in the top 20% globally. According to the calculator, that income would actually put you in the top 14% of the world’s population. So what is classified as “poverty” in the United States, would still place you in the top 15% of wealthiest people in the world!
I am not trying to dismiss suffering or poverty in the United States or try to say that people living in poverty here in the U.S. are “fine.” I am simply trying to offer some perspective on the relative wealth of us, as Americans (or other western, first world countries, for that matter), compared to the world as a whole. I know that these statistics can represent an oversimplification of wealth and poverty. I know there are many factors and variables (including the buying power of a dollar in other countries) and in many cases comparing the different circumstances can distort the numbers.
But…
I also know that I have lived much of my life, ignorant of the scope of poverty in the world. I have been led to believe, by American culture, that I don’t have enough, and that I am not even close to being rich. I have been told, in a variety of ways, that I deserve more. My union tells me I am underpaid, and that I will be happier and more satisfied if I have a higher income. Republicans tell me that I should be motivated to work harder by the enticement of more money and Democrats tell me I should lobby the government for more money regardless. Either way, more money seems to be a constant theme, because I obviously don’t have enough. Certainly I am not rich, but I should be.
The more I research and read, the more I understand that what I have been told by American culture is B.S.
I am already rich...
And even if I give a substantial chunk of my income away, I will still be rich...
And I can help someone else be rich too, in a different way...
Yes, amazing...
When we believe the lies of our American culture, we fail to see our own wealth. When we don’t see the scope of our own wealth, we are inclined to believe we have very little power to affect change in the rest of the world. Wealth has incredible power. Wealth creates enormous opportunity. And with wealth, there is great responsibility. Unfortunately, too many of us have believed the lie that we are not wealthy. Too many of us have labeled other people as “rich” and denied our own place among them. We have abdicated our responsibility, waiting for other “rich” people to step up and do their part.
I won’t lie, this is is a struggle for me. It is a struggle to wrap my mind around the fact that I have more than 95% (or more) of the rest of the world! Even more difficult, is the fight to understand what to do with my new-found wealth in a world so flooded with poverty and injustice. But it is funny how my questions reverse when I start to think about the power of my wealth. Instead of asking how much money is enough for me to keep, I ask how much is enough to give away. Instead of asking what I could do for myself with more income, I dream of what I might be able to do for someone else. There are still no easy answers, when we are rich, and there are certainly no absolutes, but the questions we ask and the answers we wrestle with, are far better. If you believe, like me, that there is a spiritual component to what we do with our money, and that giving can be an expression of worship and gratitude to our God, the answers, in some ways, get easier, but maybe more uncomfortable (consider Isaiah 58).
I challenge you to enter your own income at Giving What We Can to see where you rank in the world. You might be surprised how rich you really are and maybe it will alter your view of your own standing in the world. Maybe you will ask yourself different, more difficult questions and start wrestling with some uncomfortable answers. If you, like me, are compelled to look at ways to give more away, I recommend reading some books (in conjunction with giving, not instead!). These will be both motivating and Biblical, help you to be wise in your giving, and reassure you that even small amounts make a difference.
- When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty without Hurting the Poor ...and Yourself, by Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert
- Harvest of Hope: Stories of Life-Changing Gifts, by Kay Marshall Strom
- Radical and Radical Together, by David Platt
There are many organizations, worthy of your support, doing incredible work, but choose wisely. Like everything in this broken world, there are those who will even use the poor and suffering to line their own pockets, so do your research. If you are curious, here are some that I support (some small and some large), that I recommend without hesitation:
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