Discussion»Statements»Rosie's Corner» Empathy. Walking in someone else's shoes. Why don't we switch problems? I'd like to switch with a millionaire/BILLIONAIRE. You?
Everyone has "problems". Having more money doesn't exempt you from having problems, it simply gives you a different set of them. I realize that many people will disagree with me on this, as many see money as a solution to problems. Obviously, those who have money can have/do more than those who don't. But simply having more stuff doesn't solve problems. Sure it'd be nice to not have to worry about bills, or being evicted because you can't pay the rent. Or to to be able to go wherever you want whenever you want or buying whatever you desire without worrying if your account will be overdrawn. You'll get no argument from me there. Yet when you have money, it seems like everyone else is trying to take it from you. You don't see many people asking to borrow money from a hobo on the street, yet they're always clamoring for the wealthy to "give me...", "donate to...", "help me/my...".
Money doesn't make you happy. I'm sure you've heard the saying - "money can't buy happiness (but it sure can rent it)". The wealthy spend more time worrying about their wealth than enjoying it. Got to keep it and the things it buys safe from thieves (buy safes, locks, security). Got to "make it work for me (investments, property, taxes) What if it runs out? The man with little has little to lose, white the man with a lot has a lot to lose.
Money doesn't make you exempt from life. Fires, floods,tornadoes, hurricanes don't ask to see a bank account before destroying a house. While Having money may allow one to receive better healthcare, it wont make one immune to sickness, disease or cancer. Money won't stop a crazed lunatic from shooting you, being shot.
Money doesn't equal wisdom. (wisdom is not booksmarts)
I'm not saying having money can't be enjoyable, only that I wouldn't want to trade places with a wealthy person. To me it would only be replacing one set of problems with another.
"Lord, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs."
Thank you for a very thoughtful reply Shuhak. I agree with some of it and disagree with some of it. Are you your brother's keeper or are you the kind of person who says "I've got mine get your own and leave me alone"? You say being wealthy draws people who want something from you. Isn't that true of many things besides money?. Don't we all want things from one another? Respect understanding concern caring? There's a saying about "to whom much is given much is expected" or something like that. Noblesse Oblige you know. Giving back. If you need money why would you expect someone who is starving to death and homeless to help you? Of course you go a source of wealth. Should we EXPECT help from one another? If you see someone who is feasting at a huge table of food and you/your kids are starving why is it so wrong to "expect" that he'd share some of it with you? Sometimes luck is involved. Bad and good. Neighbor helping neighbor. In the olden days according to the movies I've seen when someone's barn burned down EVERYONE pitched in to build a new barn. Neighbor helping neighbor. These days folks are so SELFISH SELF-CENTERED SELF-INVOLVED that they are insulted when a starving person looks to them for a crust of bread. Do you help folks who need it if you can or do you want them to count you out? I don't really know you except through what you've written here and you don't seem to be uncaring or cold or cruel or mean-spirited or selfish. I know. It's complicated. I believe in Do unto Others. I believe I am my brother's keeper. I believe in reaching out to help someone if I can. If I can't I try to find others who can. Am I a goody goody? He** no. But I do believe we are ALL BROTHERS AND SISTERS and owe something to one another..namely kindness and compassion. It should be a two-way street and having money or the lack of it SHOULD BE IRRELEVANT. Color me bleeding heart. SIGH. Happy Monday! :)
You took this in a way in a different way that I had expected. But you have a point. I was going more on the lines of the greed factor. For example, when someone wins the lottery, people they never knew of come out of the woodwork wanting a "piece of their pie". Am I my brother's keeper? Yes, but to a point. You are correct in saying that we all want things from one another. What we want is to be loved. Respect, understanding, concern, caring - they all boil down to love. Those "olden days" you speak of in movies actually existed in real life (at least where I grew up they did). And they still do to some extent. That fire we had up the road here this summer proved that. The poor eat from the crumbs that fall from the rich man's table. The rich man doesn't care about the poor, unless by doing so he can bring attention to himself. He cares about himself and his wealth. (generally speaking) And yet we endeavor to be like him; to walk in his shoes. Do we desire to be rich so that we can help others or so that others will see us? Need proof? Just look at the wealthy in the world.
I believe I owe my brothers and sisters (despite their race, creed or color) love (and all that it incorporates). If I love them, I will help them with whatever I have (be it a little or a lot). That's' not being a "goody-two-shoes", its being a decent human being. The wealthy are concerned with the wealthy, and I (personally) don't want to walk in their shoes.
There are some very wealthy people who are wonderfully humanitarian. I think maybe the most famous are Bill & Mellinda Gates. There are also many athletes who have chartitable foundations and do fundraising for the less fortunate. There are many good ones I think. It's just that they don't get all the press. They prefer working quietly out of the spotlight. Andre Agassi built a school in Las Vegas for underprivileged kids and each October has a fundraiser to keep it going. Roger Federer has one too. I honestly don't know how many of the rich and famous have them out of the goodness of their hearts and how many have them for tax writeoffs. Then of course there are the fake phony greedy bogus folks like the gaslighter-in-chief whose "chartiable foundation" funds all went into his pocket or the pockets of his children. That is one of the things the SDNY has on the table for going after all the officers of the trump foundation. The last board meeting they had was in 1999! So much for them. Thank you for your reply. Oprah Winfrey has paid for hundreds of college scholarships...maybe thousands by now. She built a school for girls somewhere in Africa to provide them with education and a future. I don't think she needs any tax writeoffs. So there is an upside to wealth..a high road. And of course the dark downside of greed corruption and self-interest. :) The truth is we all began from the same place. We are the same race...the human race. We are all biologically brothers and sisters. We are family. That there are so many black sheep among us is unfortunate. :(
This post was edited by RosieG at February 3, 2019 9:20 AM MST
There have been many times I get to show them off....lol I walk really well wearing them ,but mostly they like long legged beauties ,not little shrimps...:( Its the main reason I've never visited OZ......I don't want to get thrown on a Barbie....I'm quite able to climb a broad if hot.....lol
Shuhak 