There is an old fable about a man who was riding across the desert at night. As he crossed a riverbed, a voice then came out of the darkness ordering him to halt. The voice then said, “Now, get off your camel.” The man did so. The voice then said, “Pick up some gravel from the riverbed.” The man complied. Finally, the voice said, “Now, mount and ride on. In the morning you’ll be both glad and sorry.”
As the sun rose, the rider looked at what he had picked up and discovered it was not gravel at all but a handful of precious gems! As the voice had said, he was both glad and sorry. Glad he had picked up a few and sorry he had not carried more. Like most fables, this one is based on human nature and has specific meaning for those fortunate to live in this land of opportunity.
We live in the riches country the world has ever known. We, African Americans, possess just about everything the wealthy possess – only in smaller amount. We have homes, cars, stereos, televisions, and savings accounts – only in smaller quantities, Our food is just as tasty and plentiful; our homes are as just cozy. With only a fraction of the world’s population, Black America possesses nearly 10 percent of the free world’s total income.
But most of us are like the man in the fable, We are glad we have such a high standard of living but still have some regrets. Regrets because many never realize that financial independence has nothing to do with the amount of money you can earn, but only with what you do with the funds you possess.
