The way prosperity is shown depends heavily upon the culture. An item or characteristic that is highly valued in one place is a sign of poverty in another. This principle can be hard to understand. We assume everyone sees the world like we do, but that is as far from the truth as possible.

Here are a few examples that I have witnessed first hand.

In the Philippines, white skin is treasured. Women do everything they can to have pale white skin. They have whitening creams, lotions, and soaps that all promise visibly whiter skin. Here is the reason it is treasured in their culture. If you have white skin, that means you do not have to work the fields as a farmer. Since farmers are typically poorer, white skin shows a level of economic well-being.

This ideology is counter cultural to America where tan skin is prized. Tan skin translates into a life not tied to a desk job or the ability to vacation on the beach. It is a completely different view-point.

Here is the moral of that story, if you are pale and want to have praise from others around you, move to the Philippines. Simple as that.

Haitians do not care about skin color, but rather they value the size of their women. They want their women to be large.

A large wife is a sign that the husband is wealthy and has enough to provide ample food for his family. Likewise, the husband also wants to be large. Basically, fat is good in Haiti.

Many people are literally starving or do not know where there next meal is coming from. An insurance against starvation is fat. It makes perfect sense once you think about it.

Each culture sets their own priorities and things they treasure. It may not make sense to us on the surface, but dig down a little and get to know the reasoning. It will be worth the journey.