Our Most Valuable Resource
As a nation, and as individuals, what is our most valuable resource?
One of the consequences of the recent economic downturn has been to help us as Americans do some reprioritization, something that for many of us -- let's be honest -- was long overdue. I've lost track of how many people I know personally or have heard of through personal acquaintances who have had to make sometimes drastic lifestyle adjustments recently. I'm talking about things like downsizing housing, getting rid of extra vehicles, not taking expensive vacations, eating out less, driving less, etc. It's never pleasant, and can be downright painful, to have to lower one's standard of living, especially in a culture that has glorified material possessions and financial gain as the yardsticks by which we measure "success." For some, just putting food on the table or paying the light bill has become a major challenge, and my heart goes out to folks in that situation.
Still, I'm convinced there's a silver lining to these dark clouds, because we've been reminded, albeit painfully, that having a lot of "stuff" is NOT the measure of true wealth. The truth is, the most valuable resource we can claim are people - the people who love us and whom we love, the people who enrich our lives and provide support and encouragement, the coworkers, employees or employers who are decent and fair, the people in our neighborhood who make it a nice place to live. It's during hard times that we discover how frugally we can get by if we have to, and what a blessing it is to have family and friends to lean on and draw strength from.
Even businesses should learn something from these financially challenging times and focus less on the bottom line and more on treating employees with dignity and respect. Time, energy, and yes, money invested in the people in your organization will pay far greater dividends in the long run than all the technology you could buy or cost-cutting measures you could put into place in order to see a short-term improvement to the bottom line.
The wealth of our nation cannot accurately be measured by the GDP, the money in our bank accounts, nor the value of our stock portfolios. What makes this country great is the spirit of its people, and it is that indomitable spirit that, if given the chance, will turn these hard times into better times once again. Hopefully, when that does happen, we'll remember the lessons learned during this time of retrenchment and put a higher value on the people in our lives than on the material baggage we manage to accumulate.