Every so often, the list comes out: the wealthiest people on the planet. We learn how much Bill Gates is worth — and Warren Buffet and Carlos Slim are so forth. But I wonder if anyone ever cared to compute each person’s net worth.
Here’s how you do it. First, you compute worth in the usual manner. Net worth is simply that number minus what you owe. Follow me? It’s that simple.
So, first you subtract what you owe your parents, then what you owe your teachers, then what you owe your spouse, relatives, friends, colleagues, and society more generally. The numbers are appalling. Well, I speak for myself: it turns out my net worth is well into the red.
Those of us who believe in a Creator should start the math right there, and the results are then even more radical: The “owe” side of the balance sheet is so huge that it seems pointless to talk about worth or net worth.
At first, this feels rather oppressing. But then you stumble into the liberating thought that it simply means you should spend less time boasting and more time thanking.
