THE THINGS THAT WEALTHY PEOPLE DO with their money astound me. Some go in for flashy jewelry, rings and Rolex watches and lots of gold. Some spend money on expensive cars, big boats, and houses much bigger than what they need to actually live in. Others hire nannies to care for their children, maids to clean their homes, cooks to make their meals, gardeners to tend their yards, and a variety of other functionaries to perform tasks that most ‘normal’ people enjoy or at least willingly do for themselves. Wondering what I might do if I came into lots of money, it wouldn’t be any of the above things. In fact, I am compelled to admit, it occurs to me that I am such a cheapskate, I’d have a really hard time spending all that extra moola. My approach to life is so simplified that my list of non-essentials is quite lengthy. I’ve never been into travel for travel’s sake and, especially these days, I wouldn’t alter that predisposition, although I realize that some people would see travel as something they’d increase if they could afford it. I could see getting vacation property, perhaps a place in the mountains, or a place on the seashore. But my simple house suits me just fine, and my modest wardrobe, and my non-exclusive neighborhood. “That man is rich,” wrote Thoreau, “whose pleasures are the cheapest.” Amen to that.
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I'm like you, Henry. I lead a simple life and love it. I would probably use the extra cash to make sure my kids were all set up (pay off student loans, buy them houses, etc).
Maybe I would buy a car where the defrost fan works without hitting it with a heavy-duty screwdriver every morning. LOL ;&zwj
Yay. Don't forget me, I live far away. I will double everybody's money in the casino, they all have one, or maybe.......
How about philanthropy, Henry? You could give it all away and retire to the hills, bringing a lot of joy and comfort to the strapped like me.
Hello HenryM.
Thank you for your post on this potentially controversial subject.
I have written many rhymes extolling the virtue of ‘contentment’ – rather than the pursuit of ‘happiness’. Many of my rhymes expose the dangers of wealth being used as a ‘weapon’, rather than a gift to be shared and/or used for the benefit of those in need.
The ostentation shown by many rich people seems to be very similar to the symptoms of bullying where the bully says, does or implies that they are more powerful than others. Which also implies that those ‘others’ should show deference and even obedience to their whims.
I won’t go on any further except to offer just one rhyme on the subject:
Best wishes
Bill
STATUS SYMBOLS.
There they are with their possessions
and supercilious expressions.
Haughty, pompous and disdainful
all of which I just find painful.
With a bank balance that’s buoyant
they can afford to be flamboyant.
But what does this say to the poor
who only need a little more.
Condescendingly derisive,
never endingly divisive,
flaunting wealth with ostentation
makes me seethe with detestation
With their wealth and domination
they are an abomination.
I find them frightfully revulsive.
and disgustingly repulsive.
They’ll show off the things they’ve got
but from my view that’s not a lot.
For all those things that they have bought
in my terms amounts to nought.
The measure of somebody’s worth
is not what they have got from birth.
Or things they stole along the way
to bring and place on a display.
I feel that personality
along with commonality
in fighting inequality
defines a person’s quality.
So put all status to one side
and step across that great divide.
Contemplate a world where we
promulgate all things are free.
B. Withers 2013
(In: 'Unfashoinable Rhyming Verse' 2014)
Actually, that's the first thought that occurred to me. That's the only enjoyable aspect of riches that I can conceive of...giving it away to people who could really use it. What fun!
Bill, I suspect that you could find some aspect of bullying in just about anything.
Hi all, when I was still working, several of us on second shift would pool our money and get lottery tickets on Friday night for the Mega Millions lottery. After a couple of years of that, the most we ever won was a few hundred bucks. The enthusiasm wore off and we quit. It was fun while it lasted. We would sit in the break room for the last break of the night and talk about what we would do if we won. Some would quit their job, some would travel, all the usual stuff people would do if they got a bunch of money.
Hello HenryM.
You are so right about being able to find some aspects of bullying in 'almost' everything. However, having just completed a book of rhymes about 'kindness', I have concluded that kindness and unkindness can be rationally juxtaposed so that they appear to be opposites. The fact that I have been able to tease out the bullying (unkindness) so readily, is an unfortunate reflection on the human race. I do hope that 'kindness' as a concept will be a bit more rapid in catching up and balancing out the unkindness, which seems to be prevailing at present.
Best wishes
Bill
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If only two others are going, I'll just rent a speedboat and see what kind of damage EA can do.
I have my boating license, lol!!! You have to supply me with tequila and I'm all aboard, haha - of course then I will let someone else drive!
Well, you won't be able to go fast enough to make me crap my pants. I may have to tape my bag down though.
I am going too, ya know. I too have my NH boating license. This is not to be taken lightly by you big boat cruisers. Driving a boat among the drunks on a NH lake weekend involves maneuvering around beer-fueled boaters with ropes out pulling little kids on whatever they can ride on. And all the while, my purpose would be to protect any loons and chicks on the lake, as the Loon Watcher of the lake. I can captain any boat anywhere. Like, to Cozumel?