One of the traits that I used to admire about the older generation when I was young was how content they were with so little. But as I have grown older, more of that generation has passed on and I haven’t run into many people in recent times that have had that sort of contentment.

What made that generation so special? One of the things which many have recognized is that because that generation had to experience such tough times, such as the great depression and world war 2, they gained a better appreciation of the things which actually mattered in life, and less of an attachment to material possessions.

I believe this is true and that there’s a good lesson in there for the rest of us. We’re now facing really tough economic times. With mounting debt and talk about countrywide insolvency, I believe that the regular person should be doing as much as they can to learn how to live simply and not need the lavish luxury we’ve become used to.

Some people would disagree that the common citizen does not live in luxury, but I would have to differ. Just glance at the size of your average TV in each home. In the old days, when the times got tough, people banded together to make positive changes. Did you know that during world war 2 when people started growing victory gardens to help the war effort, it was reported that more food was grown in urban gardens than was grown by the farmers of the nation.

That’s pretty amazing, and it goes to show you what type of power we have when we work together to tackle national problems. But in this era it seems like we are moving the opposite direction, disagreeing over everything, even to the point of virtually having to declare national bankruptcy for lack of being able to agree on a budget. It’s too bad actually, and attitudes need to change before the times can get better I believe.

Ben Mester is a writer who loves to write about the social problems we all face. If you got something out of this post, check out Bible verses about helping the poor, and Bible verses about humility.