The Evil Rich. They Might just Work Harder Than the Rest of Us.

Why are the “rich” so often demonized in our culture?”

In light of the recent tax bill passed by the US Congress, I noticed a comment from a friend on Facebook that said the following:

The new tax bill: score one for the rich. For the rest of us, not so much.

Sounds like the infamous Us vs Them argument. While I’m not 100% certain they were slamming the rich I can’t help but notice a familiar tone in their comment. This mindset has become part of our normal narrative. The problem with this attittude is that it is generally ignorant and blame shifting.

The rich are painted as faceless monsters that somehow got where they were by stepping on the backs of the worthless poor, who some may say are also demonized in our culture. That is the attitude I’ve witnessed regularly most of my life. While I’m no expert in economics I am an expert in my opinion about this topic. I just don’t think it is fair.

Where does this come from? Is it jealousy, envy? Is it the belief that if person X has too much then person Y can’t? If person X has plenty, did they steal it from person Y? Is there not enough prosperity to go around? Please someone help me see the light…if such light exists.

Let me say this article is for the good and decent people, rich and poor who are kind, loving and helpful to those around them regardless of their financial zip code. One can always point to the extreme cases of some mega gozillionaire who used and exploited his underlings to rise to the top. If you are one of these people then this does not apply. Please move along. There is nothing for you to see here.

I want to be rich. Who doesn’t?

Full disclosure. I’m not rich, I am not a millionaire. Hell, I’m barely a thousandaire and some days even that’s a stretch. I work very hard and make a decent living. Decent being a relative term of course. That being said, I want to be rich. Who doesn’t? Who doesn’t want at least a little bit of freedom, a little bit of luxury, a little more peace of mind. Desiring and creating wealth is not inherently bad. It allows you the freedom and leverage to not only better yourself but also others. I want to be rich so that I can not only help myself, my family and friends but also be in a position to write a check (old school) or Venmo (new school) cash to a complete stranger who has just been kicked in the head by life. There have been few times in which I was able to annonymously help a family in need. It was one of the most gratifying and uplifting experiences of my life. I want more of that. Question is am I willing to do what it takes to put myself in that position.

Find me someone who truly enjoys working paycheck to paycheck. As Dave Ramsey says, “the money comes in, the money goes out, only the names are changed to protect the innocent.” What kind of life is that? It sucks and is a horrible existence. We do it because we are surrounded by others doing it. It’s normal so no one really notices. It’s like swimming in a pool with a thousand of your neighbors. One day someone peacefully bobbing in the deep end says, “hey did you know this water is wet?”

Not one of us likes being a slave to the timeclock as an employee. Who among you likes asking a stranger for permission to spend extra time with your family? It may be comfortable but if we searched our heart of hearts, we all wish to be free of that lifestyle. America. Land of the ‘free.’ Is it really?

America. Land of the ‘free.’ Is it really?

One has to take an honest look at themselves when saying, ‘I want to be rich.’ Do I? Really? I mean Really? As I analyze my life and the choices I made, I’ve always looked at those around me who were doing very well and secretly envied their success and wondered why I wasn’t attaining similar levels. I was working just as hard as they were or so it would seem from my couch. Was it luck? Was it being in the right place at the right time? Was it someone they knew? Did mommy and daddy leave them a ton of cash? Saying I want to be rich is about as effective as trying to solve algebra by chewing bubble gum.

I look back ay my efforts in life and it is now obvious to me that I have never been willing to put in the additional effort, the hustle to become rich. I’ve always been able, just not so willing. My position in life is absolutely 100% on me. My choices, my lack of choices, my choice not to make choices have led me to the job I have, the friends, I have the neighbors I have, the view I have, the zip code where I live, the yadda, yadda, and some more blah, blah and blahyadda. You get the picture. It is no one elses fault. I can’t blame the guy who has the house on the hill, drives a new BMW and takes vactions 3 months out of the year to wherever he wants. He, behind the scenes, hustled more, risked more and worked more 27-hour days for years than I was willing to. He was obsessed. I was average. That’s it. It doesn’t get any more complicated than that.

We ought to be grateful for the rich. Again, the good and decent ones whom are humble, kind and meek. The rich often change the world. Steve Jobs, Elon Musk and the like and that list could go on and on. Don’t get me wrong. The financially poor can also change the world. Case in point, Mother Teresa. She was broke but mentally rich. That is a topic for another day, however. The rich create entire industries that employ and provide lifestyles for millions of people around the world. How many times in your life have you worked for and prospered from a broke person?

So lest ye disparage those who may have more than you, realize they, in most cases, work(ed) much harder than you. Don’t envy what they have, envy what they did to get what they have. Go do what they did if you want what they have. If you want something you’ve never had you will typically have to do things you’ve never done. Things that are hard and uncomfortable.

Don’t be a crab. Crabs feel bad when one of their own tries to elevate themselves and try to bring them back down to their comfort level.