A man's riches may ransom his life, but a poor man hears no threat (Proverbs 13:8).

I recently heard a statistic (which I haven't been able to scientifically verify) saying that the average Westerner (i.e. American or Dutchman), historically speaking, would belong to the wealthiest 10 percent (or maybe even 5 percent) of all humanity. That is, of all the people who have ever populated the planet, you and I -- and probably just about anyone who would currently have access to a personal computer and the internet -- are top-of-the-top wealthy: King Solomon, Caesar Augustus, Napoleon Bonaparte, Queen Victoria, Andrew Carnegie, Donald Trump... and little old middle-class me.

I'm not sure how much these figures take into account things like inflation and cost-of-living... But that's really beside the point. Because even IF we only belong to that club because of inflated numbers that don't account for the ridiculous cost of a freaking toasted bagel at the corner cafe -- it only goes to prove the point of Proverbs 13:8 even more effectively.

So many of us desire to be "wealthy" -- even if it's not the Ferarri-in-the-garage, in-ground-heated-swimming-pool-in-the-basement kind of wealthy, but rather the respectable-retirement-savings, debt free, occasional-pizza-delivery-dinner kind of wealthy. We envy the rich (i.e. those richer than us) -- never realizing that the scope of responsibilities and challenges only tends to increase, as one gains wealth. It's just like the Notorious B.I.G. said it: "Mo' money, mo' problems."

It can be so foolish to envy those wealthier than us, or to look with condescending pity on those with fewer resources than us. Because all phases of life -- all levels of wealth -- come with their own sets of problems. The "poverty-stricken" masses of humanity through the years haven't had to deal with taxes, mortgages, health insurance co-pays, collection agencies, and tuitions. And we middle-class Westerners don't have to deal with ransoms, squabbling over inheritances, multi-million dollar investments, and such. A little bit of perspective can go a long ways towards eliminating discontentment and envy.