Who is poor?

The last few days I had the opportunity to experience a visit to a remote village in rural Roumania called Crit, as part of a Gruntdvic program focusing on MDG's. The moment I stepped out of the van taking me and a team of other individuals of various nationalities, I was taken by surprise.  Based on Western standards, the village looked run down, with no infrastructure, and none of the conveniences we get to enjoy in the western world.  People with no "normal" jobs, tending their few domestic animals comprised of primarily some chicken, cows, ship, goats, horses, ducks, and the occasional pig.  Their daily attire was primarily of clothing that, again, we would consider unacceptable.  So, I felt out of place, maybe felt a little bad for them, and I immediately went into the mode of evaluating what these people would need to become happy.  You see I made an assumption that it turned out to be wrong.  I assumed that these individuals were not us happy.  But it turns out that they are.  They are happy with what they have, and they are happy that they have homes and their animals to take care of, and they are also happy that they have small yards that they cultivate to provide the necessary vegetables for the season and for the winter months. Kids were running around playing with the make shift toys they managed to put together, hunting for mushrooms and other wild vegetables and berries, as well as racing with their bikes around the small village of no traffic lights, main roads, fancy grocery stores, pubs, clubs or malls.  And it dawn on me.... while looking at the majestic mountains and meadows the last morning there, that these people are not poor, we are, for not understanding what is important in life.... we lost the meaning of what is needed... and we consume our time with how to secure the next asset, the next physical possession, which in the end, it creates more hardship and robes us of our ability to breath freely, to look at the stars without the city light glare, and to understand what is important in life.  We are poor, they are rich!