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Dear all,
It has been very interesting reading this thread. As one of the ‘flashy programmers’ in IT, I just wanted to point out that each person is a valid human being, no matter what they do, and no matter what their attitude is.
A friend of mine used to talk about ‘being the bigger person’, by which she meant that when you feel like you are getting drawn into an argument, take a step back and look at it differently.
When I was 17 I was a moralistic, arrogant little <edited>, amongst other qualities. Looking back I have learned a lot since then, and like to think I am now a much better person.
My point is, that everyone has their own journey, and develops ways of thinking over the course of their life. It doesn’t mean they are bad people if they don’t see something that you see.
I really hate this idea that if you want to be rich, you should go out and drop all your friends in favour of some more succesful ones. Isn’t that the most unfeeling and cruel thing you could do? Surely if you learn something that your friends don’t know, and start to become succesful, you would share that with them and if they want to they can come along with you. If they don’t want to, does that make them a bad person? Does that drag you down? I don’t think so.
I have lots of friends – both well off and not so well off, and all inspiring in their own way. Some are more negative, some more positive, but all have a valid view of the world. I don’t have to absorb all of their views – I am my own person!
I guess I’m trying to say that even the people you might see as hopelessly ignorant, or that have bad attitudes, might just be at an earlier stage of the same journey you’re on. Were you always so enlightened?
How about having a bit more give and take, and treating everyone as a valid person, no matter what their financial position or take on life.
With respect,
LukeDear all,
I have a real issue with one of the statements on the list: ‘What’s wrong with being greedy?’, and ‘Is it really that bad to want to be rich?’
I think that sometimes, without meaning to, we can be so caught up by all of the hype around ‘being rich’ as a goal to aspire to that we forget what is really going on.
In some ways, being ‘rich’ could be defined as having more than you need. This by its very nature is exploitive of people who have less than they need.
As an example, if you are a wealthy person who will never work again, why would you not start channelling any more money you make into charitable causes?
There are people dying of starvation all over the world, and yet our latest national epidemic is obesity – does no-one see the inhumanity and ludicrousness of this? Our excesses are causing us problems, so why not give them away rather than being greedy and holding onto them against some intangible rainy day?
In the story that was told in one of the posts about someone’s ignorance in financial matters, I feel this should be a reflection to us that maybe have a little more, about our own ignorance – are we ignorant of humanitarian matters?
I would seriously question the motivation of a person who wants to be ‘rich’. For myself my aim is to be able to retire young, and devote my life to my family and my passions – not to amass more wealth than I will ever use, but to get out of the ‘rat race’ that is so soul destroying, because of the greedy people that exploit others for their own wealth.
With respect,
Luke
