The donor moved her face to the right,
then back, adjusting the frame
until Mother Teresa became
the perfect backdrop for his wealth.
My dear, there are many forms of poverty,
she said later, and met his hunger
with acceptance, tolerance, forgiveness—
currencies that cannot be photographed.
Sixty-two people own more
than half the world combined.
We watch two hundred billion hours of television,
play three hundred million minutes of games
while our trust declines by half in a generation.
But look: one hundred million volunteer hours
built Wikipedia. In Seattle, seniors and toddlers
share a nursery—stories meeting curiosity,
wisdom trading places with enthusiasm,
graphite becoming diamond
through the architecture of connection.
Pancho moved to the border of three gangs
and removed the locks from his door.
Now when shots ring out, neighbors
run toward the sound, not away—
this is what happens when you tend
the currency of belonging.
A student sat on his bed, ready to end everything,
then remembered the bell exercise:
watch your breath until the ringing fades.
He waited. The feeling passed.
Today he is alive and well.
In Poland, a woman called her mother
on Christmas Eve, found her crying
in the dark, lights off so neighbors
wouldn't know she was home alone.
The daughter packed her bags.
All this, in exchange for a song.
What forms of wealth do we care to amplify?
The question hums like a bell
long after the sound should fade.
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Shaft of sunlight,
Or angel's smile?
Dragonfly wing’s
Breath of movement.
Angel and Dragonfly sing
Touching Wings.
Everything is more than it seems at first glance.
This is so simple yet so profound and a game changer! I definitely will try to ask for one of these other forms of currency in exchange for my contribution with a few people and see how it goes... We should actually run such projects in all schools.
Please contact me when you are coming to Delhi!Thanks..
Thank you for the reminder of all the forms of capital and wealth. I feel rich today indeed and so very grateful. Here's to paying it forward and sharing it all. HUGS from my heart to yours. OUr care and compassion is such incredible wealth potential too!
It is such an important article!
Oh right! Sure! So let's start exchanging...I'll share my attention capital with overfunded, messy-looking, graphic-cluttered commercial sites when they share their surplus cash capital with me!