easy life, happy life?
I was pondering the other day about the whole point of saying grace. We thank the lord for the food that we are about to eat. When I put the religious connotations to one side I could still see that it was a worthwhile thing to do, to appreciate ones good fortune, whichever god had helped one to achieve that.
I have never starved or gone hungry. I have missed meals and fasted, but that was through choice rather than necessity. There have been times in my life when I have had very little money, but never have I come even close to what would be considered the poverty line. And many people are in the same position as me. They are not rich by any means but neither have they experienced the true hunger of poverty.
It is estimated that around half of the world, which at the current count is around 3 billion people live below the poverty line. In financial terms, that is just two American dollars a day. Which is about a quid. It’s hard to believe, but those are the figures. According to the 2002 figures, it was 17% in the United Kingdom. That’s pretty high for a European country. But that’s actually another figure, relative poverty. Anyway, without going off at a tangent, back to the subject of appreciation. If you want to read more about the UK figures then look here:
Poverty in the UK
But living above the poverty line, whichever way you define it is not enough. Once we have food and shelter and warm clothes, there are other things to consider. So 17% are having a difficult time because they have to find money, but what about the rest? Next on the list of considerations is health. How many people have long term illnesses, or have recurrent short term illnesses? And then there are those with disabilities. They certainly don’t have an easy time either. Physical and mental disability requires help, and the person providing the help won’t be having an easy time either.
What next? Education or intelligence. They aren’t the same thing of course. I used to know a guy who was extremely knowledgeable and would have won any pub quiz or a game of trivial pursuit, but was a bit slow at grasping basic concepts and figuring things out. So they aren’t the same thing. But nevertheless, we tend to call these people thick. It’s only recently that I have accepted that there are thick people in the world. I used to give them the benefit of the doubt and would consider the possibility that they were merely tired or having a bad day. But for some people, no amount of training or education will enhance their abilities. Their attitude is a large part of the problem, but so is their aptitude. These people certainly don’t have an easy life.
Then there are ugly people. And with the modern trend for fame, celebrity and fashion, even plain looking people are now considered ugly. Overweight or underweight. Boob jobs, nose jobs, bum jobs. Men taking steroids and having their body hair removed. Wearing the latest fashions. The percentage of ugly people is on the rise as the previously ugly or plain have beautified themselves. The pressure to look pretty goes on. But I’m pretty on the inside. Who cares.
So if you’re poor, if you’re thick, ill, disabled or ugly, then you’re going to be having a difficult life. But that doesn’t necessarily mean an unhappy one, but one that would be inconvenient and uncomfortable.
Is the contrary true then? Isn’t the converse of a theorem also true? Well, let’s see. If one is rich, educated, intelligent, healthy and good looking, then they have an easy life. I suppose there is one other consideration which a is pretty major one, and that is the state of the country. The government. If the country is being ruled by an oppressive regime or even in a state of war. That can’t be easy. Or it does very little to help the poor and unfortunate. But putting the governmental considerations to one side, I would say that the converse would hold true. Generally speaking of course. Individual cases will be different.
So what is it that I appreciate? Why do I say grace even though I believe in no greater power? Because I am grateful. Perhaps I am grateful to myself. After all, it is I who have engineered my own life and I stand (sit) where I am today largely through my own choices. I am grateful that I am not poor and never have to worry about paying the next bill. I am grateful for my health. I have never had a long term illness nor do I suffer from short recurrent spells. I am fit and I am strong as well as being very agile. All due to my own efforts. I am intelligent, educated to graduate level and self taught in many things. I pick things up pretty fast. A continuing education is as necessary as eating your greens. I am not ugly and nor have I been caught up in the quest of fame. I do hanker after the latest fashions from time to time, but it doesn’t last long. I’m quite happy with how I look, so I don’t need to worry about that. And last but not least, the state of the country is stable. The government isn’t perfect, but at least there’s no war going on.
So I have a pretty easy life. I don’t work too much either. I have comfort and convenience. But am I happy? Good question. I’m close, I’m really close. But not quite. Like a little pebble in my brand new made to measure shoes it irritates me, but I’m not ready to take the shoe off and shake it out because I’ve spent too long getting to where I am now. I’m close and that’s good enough for me. At least for now.