Define Rich

"Rich is not what's in your bank account; it's what's in your memory bank."


What if the earth as you know it crashed today.  Say it flew out of orbit, and smashed into a galaxy that turned most of the land into water.  The only dry land available is where you were standing, give or take a few miles.  There are other people there with you, but not anyone you know, because the crash shuffled everything around.  Though you and the others around you took flight when the earth went out of orbit, you landed relatively safely, but not in an area familiar to any of you, nor with people you have ever seen before.  Who would you want on that strip of land with you?  Describe five to ten people you'd hope to see in that space with you.  The description can be physical, spiritual, mental, or emotional.  Go on, describe.  You can even get a writing utensil and a sheet of paper to help you with this.  I'll wait...

...

...(some of you may need a little more time than others.)

...

...(still waiting.)

...

...aw, hell.  I don't have that much time!  We've got to move on!  If you have at least five people, you're off to a good start--unless they are five people who are designed to satisfy your taste in mates and you just want them there to fulfill your lustful pleasures, whatever they may be.  If that's what you've done, you're probably a useless hunk of protoplasm just taking up earth space.  You're an undisciplined creature of...no, just kidding.

On a more serious note, who is sharing the island with you?  What are they going to get from you being there?  What will you remember and be able to contribute to the rebuilding of a new society?  If, for example, all you had was money, you're going to remember how to make money, but who, other than you, would that benefit?  Remember that the grass roots of capitalism is barter/trade.  In other words, the Utopian society that existed long before money exchange and greed took over.

If all you remember is your family, that's nice, but you're going to be grieving for a long time.  Too bad for you.  As wonderful as it can be to have a supportive family around you, in a situation like this, you're going to have to let them go in order to appreciate the fact that your life was spared.  Yes, I know that this would be difficult for some, but you'd be surprised at what the will to live induced by sudden disaster/tragedy of the masses will yield.  And yes, that's hard to fathom in a make-believe situation, but humor me for the purposes of this exercise!

Do you remember anything that was really of value to a successful society existing on the first earth?  Perhaps you might want to recreate those things.  Do you remember what you attribute to the destruction of the society we currently live in?  Go all the way back to the origin of that thing--like what really destroyed marriage, family, community, the educational system, government, church, faith, in God we trust, and all that other stuff America as a superpower was built upon?

This is your society.  How are you going to rebuild it, and who is going to help you in the process?  What/who would you leave off?  Is your answer a personal bias/prejudice you haven't really thought through that would ultimately lead you back to the society we currently live in, would it make things worse, or is it something you've truly given depth of thought?  Be careful of your answers.  If they are not wise, your society will eventually bankrupt.  What memories do you currently have that make your thoughts rich?  Or do your riches begin and end in your bank account?  There's much more to life than dollars.  If you don't think so, find a rich man willing to be honest about it, and ask him.

Rebuild your society.  All that you left behind is now the underworld.  But they didn't really die.  They're just underwater learning to swim under excruciating circumstances.  That means you don't have time to waste.  They are going to catch up with you soon, so you'd better make sure your society is built like a rock.  (If this is too morbid for you, you're thinking way too deeply.  It's just an exercise designed to put a little something on your mind.  Have fun with it!)