Yesterday as I showered it hit me: I am the richest man in the world. Well, that isn’t completely accurate, as a public school teacher in Jordan School who has had pay cuts two years in a row I make $36,702/year with 5 years of teaching under my belt. But as I stood there it hit me: I am bathing in on-demand, drinking-water-clean water which I can make icy cold, scalding hot, or anything in between. Do you realize there are billions of people alive today that drink filthy water that is making them sick while I bathe away? And in the history of the world I am enjoying a luxury that only kings and rulers enjoyed.

And then you think about the food we eat, the Internet we surf, the health care many Americans enjoy (and hopefully all very soon), and the rights and freedoms that keep me safe, how can one help but feel I am one of the most wealthy, privileged, and coddled human beings who has ever lived? It’s really overwhelming if you think about it, so I’m going to stop for now, but I hope I don’t ever lose sight of the extreme wealth I have been given.