Peanuts vs. Money

Everywhere we look, industries are shedding jobs and asking for bailouts, economic numbers foretell doom and gloom, and people are nervous about their futures. There is good reason, yes. The publishing industry is right in the fray tightening its belt, too (to the dismay of those of us who write--now it will be a little bit harder to break into that cask). I'm not happy about it, but I ran across an anecdotal story that helps me keep the whole mess in perspective.

George Washington Carver (1864-1943), the renowned U.S. agricultural researcher and son of black slaves, had the right outlook. He lost his entire life savings--about $70,000--in a bank collapse in Alabama. He hardly skipped a beat when he got the news, saying, "I guess somebody found a use for it. I was not using it, myself."

What strikes me most about Carver's comment is his resourcefulness. He was raised by his master, went on to earn a college degree (not easy in his day) and excelled in agricultural breakthroughs, including a myriad of uses for the peanut. Our lives are forever changed by his curiosity, tenacity, and his ability to see beyond his nose--indeed, beyond the loss of his entire monetary future. Carver knew the intrinsic value of a dollar, and it paled in contrast to the value of an intellect. He saw things rightly.

Think about that as you whip out the peanut butter (not on the recall list) for your next meal, or future meals, if things tighen even further. I hope we all can catch and keep his vision in the weeks and months to come.