Poor Man, Rich Man The poor man grew up walking and taking the bus. The car he usually rode in was a taxicab. The rich man grew up being driven from place to place, sometimes by a chauffeur. If the poor mans father or mother happened to have a car, when it broke down, he walked or took the bus until the parts were procured from the junkyard to fix it. When the rich mans fathers car broke down, which was rare because it was never more than three-years-old, he rode in the second car or in the rental provided by the dealer. The poor man went to a public school, which he had no choice but to enter, his fate governed by the district he lived in. The rich man went to the best school his parents money could buy, they shopped around until they found the best education they could envision for their child. The poor man grew up watching his mother leaving the house six oclock each morning to catch the bus to go to work. The rich man grew up watching his mother kiss dad goodbye as he left for work. If his mother chose to work, like his dad, she drove also. The poor man grew up eating chicken wings, occasionally. Peanut butter was his main protein source, supplemented by kidney beans. The rich man grew up eating steak, t-bone the cut of choice, always Grade-A. The poor man grew up eating catfish, if his uncle pulled enough out of the local creek. The rich man grew up eating red snapper and Halibut. The poor man grew up eating mackerel from a can. The rich man grew up looking at the mackerel his father caught mounted on the wall. He never saw a can of the stuff. The poor man grew up drinking Kool Aid and Tang. The rich man grew up drinking fresh-squeezed orange juice. The poor man grew up getting water from the tap. The rich man grew up getting water from the filter or the cooler. The poor man grew up giving nicknames to the brown and gray rats infesting the neighborhood. The only rats the rich man saw growing up were the white ones in the pet shop. Now, having grown up, the rich man complains that the poor man is a burden to society, and makes or endorses policies to keep the poor man from intruding too much into his world or taking too much of his wealth. He arrogantly believes he knows everything he needs to know about the poor mans reality. Generally, the poor keeps quiet. He seldom complains. He carries on. Imam Zaid Shakir
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 16:02:05 +0000
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