The Penny's Value

What is the value of a penny? Depending on who you are, it may be more than you think. If the average person today saw a penny on the ground they would have no impetus to stop and pick it up. It is worthless to them. And I don't mean 'virtually worthless', I mean worthless.

My parents began their teenage years in the early years of the Great Depression. It was a time when a loaf of bread cost 5-8 cents. Potatoes cost 18 cents for 10 pounds. Finding a penny on the street was like finding $1.10 at today's value. When feeding a family that penny could mean the difference between feeding all your family or feeding just the kids.

So what does that mean? Simple. Many people complain about the loss of values or say that their values are the same as their parents or grandparents. I say that is no longer the case. What is or was important to those generations seems trivial in today's world. Those people who had their formative years in the Great Depression raised a generation who indeed had the same value that were placed on the things we see every day in life. It is that generation that has failed to instill those same values in the following generations.

Those who are growing into 'their time' complain about how difficult it is to live and the burdens placed upon them. These last two groups do not understand the hardships of those before them. In my early years I know full well there were times when my parents weren't sure there was enough food in the house to feed the entire family with anything other than soup or bread. Contrast that with those who complain their $800 phone is two years old and needs to be replaced. And those are not just the rich and affluent. That is the language of all groups no matter their level of affluence.

I have worked around multiple generations in my career bringing teenagers and early 20's adults into the working world. No one can tell me there hasn't been a change in those generations because I have seen it first hand. Yes, there are many who put their nose to the grindstone to get ahead but I know that that percentage of individuals is shrinking rapidly. Too many are waiting for a handout or expect to be rewarded to a position they have never earned simply because they think it is their right. No one has that right.

As for me, I will still pick up that penny. It's the value that was instilled in me.