(Madisyn Taylor)
Wealth is not a trait upon which judgment can be legitimately passed. It tells us nothing about how a person lives, what they believe in, whom they care for, or the scope of their values. Like any blessing, wealth is merely an instrument of purpose that can be used both constructively and destructively.
From an early age, people learn to court wealth while simultaneously associating money with greed, selfishness, and unethical behaviour. Consequently, this idea becomes entrenched in their hearts as envy. To attain a balanced and rational comprehension of money, as well as a fairer perspective of wealth, we need to recognize that outward manifestations of wealth tell us little about the individuals enjoying those blessings.
When we feel the finger of jealousy prompting us to draw unflattering conclusions about people whose lives seem more financially secure than our own, we should remind ourselves that there are many elements of their circumstances we cannot see. Their wealth may be the result of long hours of taxing labour, they may donate a large percentage of their resources to charitable causes, or their bounty may be an incidental aspect of a life spent doing what they love. Ultimately, we can heal our hurtful associations with money by turning a blind eye toward both wealth and poverty when interacting with others and instead focusing on the individual before us.
If you take a moment to consider your own feelings regarding money and wealth, you may discover that you equate financial prosperity with happiness, power, security, independence, or self-indulgence. Money itself, however, is none of these things.
My Thoughts:
The financial wealth of others has never been something that I have allowed to play a part in my life. I am neither impressed by money, fame, fortune or notoriety. I am however very swayed towards people who are nice, the ones that are kind to animals, respect the environment, and those that do not use any power they have as a weapon.
People that find it necessary to rule the roost over others, especially infuriate me. Everyone is equally important in their own right. If there were not people to tend to others, then those that consider themselves above everyone else would have no one to lord it over. As I see it, those that could be considered as subservient are really the ones that hold a lot of the power. If it was not for them, then those that consider themselves privileged would have to do everything themselves. Maybe, then they would be rich in other ways, ways that were more likeable.
To quote the late great Spike Milligan …
- “All I ask is the chance to prove that money can't make me happy.”
- “Money can't buy you happiness, but it does bring you a more pleasant form of misery.”
- “Money can't buy you friends, but you do get a better class of enemy.”