No existing society generates enough wealth for everyone to be rich. From antiquity, the world has had a handful of people who are rich, and the rest are always trying their best to get themselves added to those few. Most of us imagine that just about all our problems would disappear if we were only really wealthy. Having a lot of money would mean that we would not have to worry about keeping a roof over our heads, sending our kids to any school they wanted to attend, or having enough to live very comfortably in retirement.
Getting wealthy can be done in different ways; winning a lottery jackpot, inheritance, and, of course, hard work and investments. Here is the glitch: if one achieves wealth through lots of hard work, she/he is appreciated for all the sacrifices that have been made along the way. One may have worked long hours and may have missed being with the family, vacations, relationships, and much more. Those are all meaningful losses.
If wealth suddenly drops into one’s lap, perhaps through inheritance, one may find it uneasy to deal with, and it is duly accompanied by uneasiness for the people around. So, how you get rich, when you get rich and what’s the quantum of wealth defines how people around you will treat you. The overnight wealth qualifies all your intellect and efforts with only one statement, “well she/ he was lucky!” However, if you are traditionally rich, things are not as easy as you feel. “Money cannot buy you love and happiness” is indeed meant for you. And yes, the other most talked about aspects are: rich people get more depressed when compared to middle class people; they find it hard to deal with risks as compared to a poor person, as there is much to lose; having trust in co-workers, relatives, neighbors, even family is a bit difficult, because you are the go-to person, when they need money. And if dating or looking for a spouse, the questions are quite serious, “Does she really find you fascinating, or is it just your bank balance?”
Related to the problem above is that once people know you are rich, there are many other stereotypes. You are considered greedy, shallow, and materialistic, and your wealth has a lot to do with cheating, expertise in various loopholes. And yes, for some, it is even about their own loss. Truly, one person’s good fortune is tied to the bad fortune of another.
We missed out on the sympathy part, especially when you are famous along with being rich. It has a lot to do with the loss of your privacy, the inability to walk into restaurants or stores, the disturbance of being photographed, and the butt of all the gossip.
And yes, you are the one whose carbon footprint is large enough to impact this universe and create havoc like climate change and global warming. Indeed! You are the poor rich guy on this earth.
Dr Benazir Patil is the Chief Executive Officer of SCHOOL.