Rich in What Truly Matters

Watch or listen to this blog on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScoQEqnE8tY

Recently I shared a meme online (see @eric2687 on Instagram) — one that came from frustration and compassion — about what I feel is really happening to people right now: People losing healthcare, families losing food assistance - kids being hungry, workers losing jobs, paying more for basic goods, and the president’s top priority (per his own press secretary) building a 300 million dollar ballroom.

It struck a nerve.

Almost immediately, someone slid into my DM blaming Democrats. The usual political back-and-forth began — House control, 60-majority arguments, “Trump doesn’t even take a paycheck.”

But here’s what I said: Trump is making billions off us.

The response? “He’d be making billions even if he wasn’t president.”

My reply: “No, he’d be in jail.”

Then came the line that made me pause:

“Why are you so jealous of rich people?”

Jealous? No. That’s not it.

Here’s the truth: I am rich.

Not a billionaire kind of rich — I don’t need or want to be. If I was, however a billionaire, I would continue to live my life the way I do now. Giving back to humanity.

I’m rich in the things that matter: community, compassion, connection, gratitude, love, and purpose, the sacred understanding that we belong to each other.

I am rich in the knowing that no one truly thrives while others suffer, that wealth without empathy is poverty of the spirit. I have more of the basics than most people in the world – like food, housing, clean clothing, community to lean on.

At the end of the day, I have the ability of looking in the mirror knowing I’ve chosen kindness over cruelty.

It’s not about jealousy. It’s about justice.

It’s about the simple belief that there is more than enough in this world to care for everyone — especially children.

What breaks my heart is knowing that kids will lose food benefits (SNAP) because of yet another unnecessary government shutdown — a political stunt that has nothing to do with fiscal responsibility and everything to do with avoiding accountability.

"It takes a village to raise a child" 

African Proverb

So no, I’m not jealous.

I’m simply unwilling to accept a world where “filthy rich” only means money.

When the powerful protect each other instead of the people, when lies outweigh lives, and when basic compassion becomes “partisan,” we’ve lost something far more valuable than money.

You can call me idealistic. You can call me naïve. But I still believe in a world where leadership means service, where truth matters, and where wealth is measured in heart, not in hidden bank accounts.

That’s the kind of richness I’ll always stand for.