What some rich people do not understand
This is my response to this article on the Business Insider (What the Middle Class Doesn't Understand About Rich People) and I title it: "WHAT SOME RICH PEOPLE DO NOT UNDERSTAND":
1. According to the article, "the wealthy are comfortable being uncomfortable.". For your information, NOT all wealthy people are comfortable being uncomfortable. In my life, I have come across and counselled many youths who were brought up in wealthy families but lacked the drive to do something on their own. Many of these youths were more 'comfortable' in living off their parents' money instead and prefer to just follow all that have been drawn for them even though they may not be their dream at all.
I must agree however that if their parents were poor and worked themselves to be millionaires today, they would have been 'comfortable being uncomfortable' in the past and made the right decisions. This DOES NOT mean their 'wealthy children' do as well! There is a difference for people who work from zero to hero and the ones who just live off their parents' wealth! So no, not all wealthy people are comfortable being uncomfortable.
2. The wealthy dream about the future.
Again, the context is only applicable to the people who are self-made millionaires. SOME (Please take note that I used the word "SOME") children and family members who live off and spend another individual's assets are mere parasites who have no dreams and drive to work towards anything themselves. They were probably too comfortable having been born with a silver or golden spoon in their mouths.
3. The wealthy are more confident.
Successful people are more confident - yes. Are all wealthy people confident? No.
Apparently, "the negative projections and derogatory labels placed on the rich are endless. One of the most common is that the rich are cocky, arrogant people who think they’re better than everyone else.
The truth is successful people are confident because they repeatedly bet on themselves and are rarely disappointed. Even when they fail, they’re confident in their ability to learn from the loss and come back stronger and richer than ever. This is not arrogance, but self-assuredness in its finest form."
I agree that successful people do not give up even when they fail because they have an unmeasurable level of optimism in their minds that behind every obstacle is a blessing in disguise. In this way, it is indeed "self-assuredness in its finest form" and not arrogance.
However, this does not mean that the 'negative projections' about the rich being cocky, arrogant and thinking they're better than everyone else are false! At the end of the day, it is individual character. Rich people are still human beings and they can still be cocky without having this negative trait to be masked with the word 'confidence'. Just like the poor, you have humble and cocky poor people, some rich people can also be cocky while some are humble. This however does not mean that just because everyone says they are "arrogant", they are really arrogant. We only perceive and measure people according to the yardstick we ourselves have created.
4. The wealthy believe money is about freedom.
The word freedom here is very subjective. No doubt money can buy many material things but along with it comes many other undesirable feelings and emotions as well. Whether a rich person is TRULY rich or not depends on his/her attitude towards money. While money buys many of the material comforts, there are also many things that money CANNOT buy such as love, friendship, loyalty etc. If one's life revolves only around money, s/he is already bound. To be imprisoned by monetary wealth is definitely NOT FREEDOM in my dictionary. So, "freedom" is a state of mind.
5. The wealthy carefully monitor their associations.
It is true that the birds of the same feather flock together. It is important to mix with the right people for Man tends to become like the people they associate themselves with. Weaker personalities who possess weaker mental stamina can easily discard their principles and become just like their friends. If one's mind is geared towards higher goals, perhaps it isn't such a bad thing to learn and blend into a positive attitude like their companions.
However, again I have a problem with the author's phrase "the wealthy" in this point the author has made. NOT all wealthy people associate themselves with positive people. In fact, there are many wealthy people I know who attend dinners for the rich, group meetings etc. solely for the reason to show how much assets they have. NOT EVERY wealthy person is like that hough. We have all heard of rich kids mixing with wrong company and ending up in prison etc.
Just because one is wealthy does not also mean s/he knows what the word "FRIENDSHIP" means. To keep boasting about how big your apartment is, how much money you have in the bank, how rich your parents are, or how successful your family is will only draw oneself artificial companions. Ask yourself, would you like to be in the company of such people? As I have said before, money cannot buy everything. Just because people never say NO to you and smile in your company does not mean they are really there because of 'you'. Have you ever thought that they may be there to please you solely because of your 'money'? When the money goes, so are they!
Friendship is about the ability to lift another person up with your presence. If you quote how much you have in the bank, share with your friends the technique to gain financial independence just like you. Now, this is friendship. If you use your life as an example to inspire others, it is very different from using it to make others feel small of themselves.
I know of many wealthy people who keep thinking that other people, poorer than them, are out to get something from them. Is that real freedom? With this kind of mentality, one lives in fear and suspicions all the time! Even if the friend is genuine, one's reactions will reveal their suspicions over time and the 'wealthy person' may end up losing a potential good friend.
Regardless, I also know of many millionaires who have middle class friends. Friendship, at the end of the day, depends on the heart and not the depth of one's pockets. The key is to inspire each other.
Overall, the author's use of the phrase "the wealthy" isn't accurate at all. Anyone, including immediate and extended family members, can be deemed wealthy if they are being supported by a successful self-made millionaire/billionaire. Living off someone else's assets DOES NOT qualify one to fulfil all the criteria mentioned in the above. All these criteria are criteria of successful people. Just because one has money DOES NOT make that person a Man of success. Money is not an automatic 'qualifying factor' of success.
I believe true 'wealth' cannot be measured merely through monetary gain but in many other aspects such as health, happiness etc. as well.
Here is the link to the original article published on the Business Insider: What the Middle Class Doesn't Understand About Rich People
Love and light,
Genevieve
Couldn't have said it better myself.
ReplyDeleteHi! It's been a long time since your last update. Where have you been?
ReplyDeleteHi Master!! Will you be around KL this June? Would like to drop by Malaysia to visit you.
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