Let Social Media Inspire You

/ Luanne Shernisky

https://twitter.com/larrykim/status/663642672989675521

I never met a quote I didn’t like; I just like some more than others.

So, rather than limit my choices to five, I decided to scroll through the land of Twitter with #quotes as my search term. How can one resist the seemingly endless choices that the Internet offers? While it’s hard to narrow the list to one, I chose this because (a) I’ve never heard it before and (b) it immediately spoke to me. What did it say? It reminded me of two very distinct groups of people who I’ve encountered in my life: the Haves and the Have Nots.

The Haves are those people that enjoy the good life. In this quote they are defined as having everything. Conversely, the Have Nots are described as having nothing. The definition of “everything” has traditionally meant money, status, and power, while “nothing” connotes having very little, or next to nothing.

The quote talks about “your patience when you have nothing,” and this refers to worldly goods. How many of us would be patient if we had no homes or money and were forced to sleep in the streets or eat in a soup kitchen? Who among us would remain humble if we suddenly had everything we desired?

But what if the definitions changed and having everything meant the respect of others, honesty, and generosity? Poor folks can have these qualities, but do we think of them as having everything? What if having nothing meant you possess lots of money and prestige, but that you were dishonest, selfish, and entitled? There are plenty of rich people who fit this description. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, including this one.

I’ve known my share of people from all walks of life and one thing is certain: there is nothing classier than a Have who goes out of his/her way to help the less fortunate, and a Have Not who recognizes that money can’t buy the really important things in life and retains a true “attitude of gratitude.”

18 thoughts on “Let Social Media Inspire You”

  2. Money isn’t everything. When I was in Indonesia people who had next to nothing as you said, were some of the happiest and most appreciative. It was really shocking coming from a place like NYC where I know people who have way more than they need and seem to be miserable and feel like victims or entitled.

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    • Thanks for your comments; I agree totally and isn’t it ironic that so many people are that way? We need to do some self-reflection and get our priorities straight! For our Writing 101 prompt a few days ago, I chose Socrates and “The Unexamined Life.” If you’re interested, you can find it at:
      &lt

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    • Thank you, but the credit goes to the Writing 101 team. This was our prompt for Day #7 – Let Social Media Inspire You. I love quotes and feel they’re a wellspring of inspiration for writing!

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  4. This is my newest favourite quote. I saw it on Facebook a week ago and now today I see it on your blog. We should not allow money or possessions define who we are, yet so many people think that wealth makes them more important and act accordingly. Being patient with nothing is difficult but if we have life or family or friends do we really have nothing? That is the way to think.

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  5. Pingback: Four Interesting Posts | wonderfulwordsblog

  7. Lulu, my perception of the quote is the same as yours. I find it interesting how words, whether quotes, poems, stories, etc., can be interpreted in varying ways. What one perceives can have a totally different meaning to another.

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