Recently, relatives of mine went on a cruise in the South Pacific. One of the places where their ship made a port of call was the independent Polynesian country of Samoa. To be clear, this was not American Samoa, just Samoa (up until 1997 it was called Western Samoa, as it lies west of American Samoa).

While Samoa had been established by the Lapita people around 1500 B.C., more recently it had been under German, British and New Zealand rule or administration until it gained independence in 1962.

Its two main islands lay twelve degrees south of the Equator and enjoy the eternal warmth that most countries located close to the equator do. With over one hundred inches of rain every year, the island is perpetually green and lush with all sorts of vegetation.

One important source of income for the people of that island nation is tourism. Their ship was the first one to arrive since the Covid-19 pandemic had struck. It goes without saying the economy of Samoa suffered greatly during the absence of cruise ships for the last 2-3 years. The GDP of Samoa is ranked 204th in the world and it is classified as a ‘developing nation’. In other words, by American standards, it is a poor country.

The interesting point, though, that my relatives made, was that despite the poverty they witnessed, the Samoan people were a happy people. They were friendly, courteous, and proud of their country. While many houses are made of corrugated sheet metal to keep out the rain, there is little need for heating or cooling as the temperature remains in the ’70-’80s year-round. The roads are well kept, and they have 3G cell service along with many other up-to-date technologies, but still, it is a poor country and opportunities are few.

When one realizes that the people born there have little chance of ever leaving or having the opportunities that are available to our citizens, it hopefully should encourage us to not squander the opportunities surrounding those living here in the US. We could have been born on this somewhat isolated island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean which has just over 1,000 square miles popping its head above the sea. They hear stories of the US but will likely never visit. Those that do leave are the fortunate ones who have come to the US and other first world nations because they have some talent or other opportunity to prosper off the island. Those that do frequently send money back to their relatives to help them out my relatives were told. Many were not able to return to Samoa during the pandemic, and only now are they able to do so.

The question all of us should ask ourselves is are we, those who have won ‘the lotto of life’, by being born in the most prosperous and advanced country the world has ever known, are we squandering the opportunities that surround us? Should we not be thankful we were not born on an isolated island where opportunities are so few? Those of you who were born elsewhere and have since become US citizens know the answer to these questions. This country has given more people the ability to ‘pull themselves up by their own bootstraps’ than any country that has ever existed. It is not a perfect country, but it grants each citizen the opportunities that people all over the world envy.

If you think that others look down on you or are biased against you because of events in your life journey, your lifestyle, your beliefs, or other traits, don’t complain about it. Everyone suffers these assaults during their life in one form or another. It is how they overcome them that makes the difference. Find someone who is like you, believes what you believe, lives the lifestyle you live, and has succeeded despite all these barriers that were up against them. Those people are out there, and they have succeeded.  Do not squander the best opportunity you have been given; you live in the US. But we don’t just live anywhere in the US, many of you reading this live in Texas and specifically in the Dallas Ft. Worth Metroplex. Texas alone has a $2.4 trillion GDP which would equate to being the 9th largest economy in the world if compared to other nations. The Texas GDP is larger than that of Brazil, Canada, Russia, and many other countries. Opportunities in DFW are vast and are only increasing.

The challenge is for us to look beyond the daily hardships, beyond what has been, and strive for what could be.  There are more opportunities in Dallas-Fort Worth than in most places around the world, and it is important we keep it that way.