Recessions, unemployment, mortgage defaults, bankruptcies, debt and poverty: these negative, economically-related terms appear in today’s headlines across the globe. Why? What’s wrong with the world’s economies?

Some years ago, I traveled to the Philippines, and there I witnessed much that I will never forget. One event, in particular, provoked me to think deeply about the issues it raised.

When my wife and I made our way to the roadside after eating at a restaurant, two young boys—no older than nine or ten—saw that we needed a taxi. Seeing that we were "Westerners," they then proceeded to hail a taxi for us, with the logical intent to receive a “tip” of a few dollars for their efforts.

Anyone who has watched cowboy movies set in the old American West is familiar with the “Wanted—Dead or Alive” poster, showing the outlaw’s picture and a healthy bounty for his capture—or for his killing. The awful crime could have been anything from robbery to murder. The poster conveyed the notion that the criminal was such a confirmed threat to decency and safety of society that his removal by any means was warranted.

Never take light for granted. It is one of the basic needs of life. Even in the ocean depths, untouched by daylight, there are organisms that use light and are equipped to produce “bioluminescence” for a variety of functions. Plants need it. Animals need it. You need it.

While taking a trip down memory lane recently, I suddenly came across a fearful memory lodged there. When I was three, I was in a busy store with my parents, holding on to my mother’s hand, when I looked up and saw it was not my mother. I think the woman was as startled as I was. Panic time! In a few moments my father found me and I was safe, but with a lifelong memory of holding on to the wrong hands.