The old saying “them that has gets” bears some truth. It is usually the tag that explains why the rich get richer and the poor get poor. A secretary at the college had a saying hanging over her desk that asserted, “I’ve been rich; I’ve been poor; Rich is better.” Those with significant financial resources do increase their financial situation and, in some instances, their social standing. Financial and social inequities result. Even those poorer who reduce spending are able to begin an emergency fund that might raise them slowly out of grinding poverty. Even ‘them that has a little gets’ more than those who don’t. That is true, not just of money.
A T-shirt displayed “Once you learn to read you will forever ...,” but I could not make out the rest. You can complete the wise saying. A compiled list could give us insight into the values and opportunities obtained by those who learn to read. All knowledge stored in our libraries opens to those who read. The internet now provides data, unfortunately much falsified, that enables us to decide what to believe as true and what is good to do. I learned that the rest of the quotation is the title of Frederick Douglass’ book, “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.”
The immigrant who told me “Education is the universal passport” had moved physically from one part of the world to another and could move freely from one location to another. Education empowered him to rise economically and socially. Now his immigrant group has the largest family wealth of any identity group in the U.S. census. His family is living the American dream. One hopes he learned how to live meaningfully and do some good.
Good character enables one to live a better life. A religious organization has the saying, “What a member saves by avoiding addictions is enough for a family’s livelihood.” Thrift rather than profligate living enables lifegiving generosity. A highly respected neighbor had fine tastes and dressed beautifully by purchasing her clothing from Goodwill and resale shops. Her children asked her why when she could afford designer clothing. Her response: “The more you save, the more you can give to help someone else.”
“You make a living by what you get; you make a life by what you give’ is the title and thesis of a book by a Wabash alumnus. Another author describes two mountains — the first is the mountain of success that young adults face and struggle to climb; the second is the mountain of meaning. Recent graduates confront independent living and need to support themselves and perhaps a family. A foot on a rung of upward mobility often requires long hours and hard work that lead to worthy goals. Many reach a summit of that mountain and come to realize that a larger house, luxurious vehicles, a fancy boat will not be satisfying. Life must reach more lofty goals of meaning and purpose. A U-Haul full of stuff we accumulate does not follow hearses. No one takes material things they get with them. Cars accompany the hearse to gravesides holding people whose lives have been affected.
The legacy of a life well lived is not in things. Most elderly people try to divest themselves of much of the stuff they have accumulated. They want to determine how to distribute their wealth to relatives, worthy organizations, and others in need. The only meaningful legacy is in the good influences they have had on other people, enriching both those who give and those who receive. Investing in relationships and in community leads a person to the true meaning and goal of human life.
Raymond Brady Williams, Crawfordsville, LaFollette Distinguished Professor in the Humanities emeritus, contributed this guest column.
