There was a boy, whose family was very wealthy. One day his father took him on a tour of a village where he intended to show his son how the poor people lived.

So, as he intended, they arrived at a farm of a very poor family.

They spent a few days there. When they returned, the father asked his son if he liked the trip.

“Oh, that was great, Dad,” the boy replied.

“Did you notice how poor people live?”

“Yeah, I did”, said the boy.

The father asked his son to provide more details about his impressions from their trip.

“Well, we have only one dog, but they have four.”

“In our garden, there’s a pool, while they have a river that seems endless.”

“We have expensive lanterns, but they enjoy the natural stars above their heads at night.”

“We have a patio, and they have the entire horizon.”

“Our land is small, but they have endless fields.”

“While we buy food, they grow their own.”

“We have a high fence for protection, yet they don’t need one because their friends protect them.”

The father was shocked and left speechless, unable to say a single word.

Then the boy said: “Thank you, Dad, for letting me see how poor we are.”

Moral of the story

True wealth and happiness are not measured by material things. Love, friendship and freedom are much more valuable.