We frequently see acclaim for those in the public eye who wear their good fortune openly and flash their success onto the masses who possess none. They lead a charmed, even envied life. You know them by their appearance, their amassed wealth, and titles of importance. They have extreme visibility and name recognition.
I would venture a guess those fortunate few know exactly how uncomfortable life would be for them without money. They understand not having money means not only less comfort but less luxury as well. There is no such thing as being pampered when you are an average person. I suspect this is why they do everything in their power to ensure they will never have to live like a poor person. Who wants to be living in distress, battling disease or injury on top of the day to day stresses? What I observe is the rich insulating themselves in their own little worlds to avoid the crises and tragedies the average person must usually endure. Obscene wealth helps them control their environment in a way to mitigate what regular citizens see as life always just happening to them. The less fortunate are, at the very least, having to cope daily and trying not to succumb in the process. It’s a hustle all the time, and full of pressure.
Rich people don’t cope. They don’t have to. All that is required is to manage because they have the breathing room to do so. Ka-Ching!
And the moral of the story? The label middle-class seems like the best place to reside.
Hi Susi,
Even the “middle class” struggles from day to day, maybe not so much financially, but in just about every other way. I guess it comes down to what you are used to having versus what you want to have. We have all heard the saying, the more you have the more you want, and for the middle class the more you want the harder you have to work to get it. And if you work too hard, you have no energy left to actually live.
When I was young, my best friend’s parents owned a restaurant. His mother worked 6 AM to 7 PM to make sure her restaurant, more of a local diner one might say, was a money-maker, while his father worked as a milkman delivering milk from 7 AM to 3 PM then went to the restaurant and worked there till 8 PM. There were no such thing as family meals, except holidays, and he barely knew who they were as people. Because they owned their own business they were considered middle class. To my poverty-level eyes they had everything, but as I grew up I realized how little they really had. There was no time for happiness, just work work work. They both died young, relatively speaking. I would wish their lives on no one.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You make a very good point. I was referring to financial comfort level of the middle class in the US. It’s a bit different here.
LikeLike
Nailed this one!! This reminds me of the truth from the movie Trading Places! Great flick!
xoxoxo
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Chuck! Yes, that was a great movie! Watched it many times. Glad you liked this piece. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, very well penned, My Dear!
xoxo
LikeLiked by 1 person
♥️
LikeLiked by 1 person
It seems that people perceive problems no matter their status. What do people see when they watch the Kardashians? The whole range of human emotions, some of which elevate minutia to crisis. The operant captions: “OMG!,” and “Someone did something to someone” 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh absolutely.
LikeLike