It’s always easy to find someone who’s worse off than we are. For example, today I was driving on a four lane highway with a divider in the middle and a stoplight about half a mile ahead.
In the middle of the divider was a small, shriveled up man who appeared to be selling newspapers. The kind given away in front of every convenience store.
And I'm the kind of person that likes to help people - especially the handicapped. And this man had an obvious handicap.
Both of his feet were so deformed they were turned inward so that it looked like he was walking on the tops of them. It was painful to even look at him.
Yet he traveled with agility, moving from car to car trying to sell papers that anyone could have picked up free at a convenience store.
The interesting thing is that he was quite successful. Probably half the people rolled down their windows and handed him money. Most of them didn't take the paper. Though I took the one he handed me because I never miss an opportunity to be nice.
Maybe I'm being judgmental by thinking he's worse off than I am. For all I know, with all the material things I have, he may still be the happiest guy on the planet.
After all, he has a mission in life: to survive. And maybe even a family he takes care of.
He's really the only one who knows the answer to the happiness question.
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