the ultimate wealth
Christian Ray Flores here, giddy with excitement for an upcoming trip to Mozambique and a little vacay on the back end. I posted about this on my birthday and a number of you made donations for the Ascend Academy - thank you from the bottom of my heart.
if you missed it
My latest pod episode is about the power making sense of your origin story and weaving it into you’re life’s work. If you haven’t watched it yet - I think you’ll enjoy it.
the ultimate wealth
A little over a week. I’m going back to Mozambique.
I spent my formative years there — seven to fourteen. A few years ago I went back with friends and started a small afterschool academy in Maputo. The Ascend Academy. Computer literacy. English. Mentorship.
We return every couple of years with friends and donors to immerse ourselves in that world and strategize how we do better. I’ll be documenting this trip and will compile it into a podcast episode, maybe two.
Doing this, I receive so much more than I give — and so can you. The reasons are paradoxical but true. Here they are.
giving is the ultimate wealth.
Even if you’re not wealthy by someone else’s standard. It means you’re overflowing with intention — your thoughts are on someone who can’t give anything in return, your time, talent, and treasure directed to the benefit of others. It helps you see the resources you already possess as abundant enough to benefit someone else. You don’t have to wait until you’ve “made it” before you “give back” — that’s a flawed concept.
caring for the dispossessed is a core human virtue.
Generosity is a lifestyle and a mindset at any level of wealth. The Judeo-Christian tradition embeds this into what it means to be fully human. In the agricultural age of the Bible, it meant not harvesting all of your crop — leaving a portion in the field for the poor. Not a suggestion. Built into the system.
For individuals, it has largely been outsourced to governments. And while a government can provide aid at scale, it cannot replace the compassion of the individual — nor the enriching power a generous life has on the one living it.
in an imperfect world, we have it good.
Being in places where the social environment works against most people and there is no economic ladder to speak of makes you appreciate what you have and stop taking it for granted. A country, deeply flawed as it may be, that gives you a genuine shot at a better life — you don’t feel the weight of that until you’re somewhere it simply doesn’t exist.
consumption does not make us happy.
You feel this experientially when you spend time with people who have almost nothing and are still completely alive and full of joy. The joy is infectious — hard to explain the feeling unless you’ve been there. A big part of why we keep going back is that reset.
Simple, pure unmanufactured joy.
It doesn’t at all mean we must feel in any way guilty to be living in the lap of luxury compared to most of the world. I grew up in some of the poorest places and experienced poverty first hand and feel a profound sense of gratitude for the abundance I enjoy. It’s a blessing and responsibility - not to become a substitute for true happiness.
weave it into the fabric of your life
Giving is the ultimate wealth regardless of how much you have. Weave it into your life and you’ll find it will fundamentally change you for the good. Beyond donations — get involved with a cause you can be part of regularly. Go along for the journey.
If Ascend inspires you, get involved. Join us for the next trip. Learn more here. The next 2-3 weeks of the newsletter will be a deeper dive into this.
I hope you enjoy it.
