Luxury lesson 101
Material wealth doesn't translate into a richer society or spirit
By John Mohan

In the summer of 2001 my family was in a state of indecision about moving from Saskatchewan to assume the leadership of Siloam Mission here in Winnipeg.

We decided to make an on-site visit as part of a holiday trip to see friends in Connecticut. As we spent a day at the mission, we served meals, helped with the cleaning and interacted with patrons, staff and the board chair. Although we left Winnipeg as undecided about the opportunity as when we arrived, it was a day well-spent.

Three days later, we were vacationing in Hartford when our hosts confirmed plans to visit New York City the next morning. Never having been to the "Big Apple" before, we were excitedly waiting in the entryway of their home a few minutes before the scheduled departure time. When we noticed a limousine and driver parked across the street, we didn't think much about it since our friends are both dentists and live in an affluent neighbourhood.

But, to our surprise, our friends had booked the car and driver for a 90-minute trip to chauffeur our party of seven to any stop we wished. He'd simply drop us off at our request, we'd tour, phone the driver again, and he'd be to our location within minutes. If you've ever been to New York, you would probably agree there is no better way to get around. While extremely convenient and luxurious, it was also somewhat awkward. Stopping at a MacDonald's to pick up fast food because we were in a hurry.

DISAPPOINTMENT

Getting out in front of Bloomingdale's, where passers-by would strain to see the famous people that surely must have been inside. Seeing their disappointment when we were nobody they recognized.

There are some life lessons from our 2001 summer adventure that I've never forgotten. It turned out we were neither happier nor better people for experiencing the limo excursion than when we served lunch to the homeless. And surprisingly, when we returned home and told our friends about the two contrasting highlights of our trip, they were more interested in our time at Siloam Mission with the inner-city homeless.

Had we never returned to Winnipeg, I am convinced that the time we gave to caring for the needy would have done a thousand times more to deepen the character of our children (and us, their parents) than a tour across North America in a limousine. New things and luxurious experiences aren't bad in and of themselves, but they don't make us a better quality of person or community.

Winnipeg is undergoing a major and expensive facelift. Next year we'll have a new $585 million airport. There's talk of a new football stadium, and City Council has just committed $7 million to help build a water park. The new Manitoba Hydro Tower is scheduled to open this May. A $265-million Canadian Museum for Human Rights is on the horizon. Not to mention that we already enjoy the state-of-the-art MTS Centre and the $57- million Provencher Bridge is a sight to behold.

Albeit pricey, such projects are often overdue replacements of old structures or they help to establish our civic culture. But ... they don't automatically make us a better community. Great communities are made and measured by how well their less fortunate citizens are cared for. No matter what the buildings look like. No matter what vehicles we drive by them in.

Originally printed in the Winnipeg Sun, Wednesday, February 6, 2008.
Reprinted with the permission of Sun Media Corporation.