My dad was quite wealthy up until the sub-prime crisis. My boyfriend is rather wealthy himself.
I don't think it is wrong to be wealthy as it is usually the case in order to be wealthy one needs to put in the work to get it, even if you are lucky enough to inherit it you will still need lots of work to remain wealthy.
My dad lost much of the family fortune through greed and he inherited the business that made him wealthy. He was one of those who liked showing that he is rich, liked his Lincoln, his big homes including one 8 bedroom log cabin that he was very proud that it consumed as many logs to build. He had quite a lot of scorn for people who were less well off but he did provide well for us and usually if he did donate any money it would be through church or for free publicity..
My boyfriend was born and raised in Denmark and Sweden. He never attended any fancy private schools but went to university in England. He worked his way up starting from the bottom and 5 years ago he came to America. He used his savings, some loans and some investors from China to buy up several properties on the cheap including some very prime ones and added value to them. Extravagance? He is quite frugal and down to earth, he normally buys clothes from H&M and usually only if it is on sale. The only new car he has bought in his lifetime is the Nissan GT-R he has now, everything previously he bought used, he doesn't buy a car unless it was made in Sweden. His house, though the land is very big the actual house is quite small and furnished only with IKEA furniture. He is surprisingly modest and generally keeps a low profile. If he helps any organization, there will be no cameras, no reporters and definitely his name won't be on it. He does help a lot of disadvantaged people and is quite prideful that his company can take in crap people and turn them into gems. His employees are very well treated as he believes they should be entitled to a fair living wage and he provides them and their dependents very good healthcare benefits and unusual for an American company he provides very good maternity and paternity benefits which is probably the reason why in 5 years he hasn't had a single employee quit on him.
Personally I'm not wealthy, if I did I probably would find it difficult to be like my boyfriend but I wouldn't be like my dad.
No it is not "wrong" to be rich. I am not jealous of rich people so I have no reason to be mad at them or envious simply because they have more money. The majority of wealthy people worked hard to acquire their wealth. Anyone could do it, we live in a land of opportunity so there is no reason to bash people simply because they got up and did something with their lives and made money.
Sure there are some rich people who just inherited it or didn't work for it and they take it all for granted and are selfish. But not all rich people are like that and I don't see the need in being angry with all wealthy people just because a few are stuck-up and think they are better than everyone else. And no, I do not think they are bad people. There are just as many good and bad wealthy people as there are good and bad poor people. The amount of money someone has does not make them "good" or "bad", that is a character issue and depends on the individual.
Yes, plenty of rich people can lead quiet lives but who cares? It's their money, they can spend it and do with it as they please. Because to be honest, if I was rich, I would most likely live extravagantly too. If you have the money then why not? If you worked hard to get what you have, why would you not want to have a high standard of living? I don't care if a rich person has the nicest car around or lives in the grandest house, it has no effect on me and how I live my life and there's no sense in being jealous or to bash them for it.
I don't really have a "philosophy" on wealth. To me, if people work hard to become wealthy then good for them. I don't care how much money other people have, I'm too busy focused on my own life.
I think there is nothing wrong with having a lot of money. Sometimes people do make so much that after the bills quite a fortune can amass.
That being said, I would hope the wealthier citizens of the world became (in some sense of the word) a philanthropist
-I'm not saying every person should move to Uganda or Nepal to aid people
-but I think giving back should become second nature once one has the means to live more than a few lifetimes
I think rich people can lead quiet lives and are not immediately bad for being rich just as the poor are not immediately good for being poor
Throwing money around and acting as if money can solve any and every problem is a problem and I had a class with this one girl who was so superficial she would tell the teacher she would give him 5 dollars to do this or do that or not do this (as in take notes) she also frequently threw out the fact her mom worked at the school district's office...so people who are a little wealthier who throw around money and certain perceived advantages...yeah that behavior can get a little tiring and annoying
I don't think it's wrong to be rich and I don't think they are necessarily greedy. Some are of course. When you think about someone like Bill Gates, you think about his enormous wealth, Microsoft, and his philanthropy. Though he was apparently a shrewd businessman. There are a few others that you can say similar things about. There are some that aren't as open about what they're doing too. Even if they don't give money to charities or whatever, I don't think that makes them bad. They were able to make that money themselves. No one but them should be able to dictate to them what they should do with it. I find it greedier for people to want what these other people have. For instance, I can't comprehend why people think that the wealthy should pay higher taxes than everyone else. Everyone should be paying the same percentage.
Plenty of them live quiet lives.
I agree with shadowscapes about thinking it's hard work that got someone rich if I like them and others don't deserve it. I've fell into that. I am ambivalent but others like the Kardashians or some of the other reality TV people disgust me, and no one can convince me otherwise. lol
I realize that if some people are rich, it means that others will be poor, but I don't consider any other system to be better.
My family is quite affluent, so I guess that makes me rich too. So I'd say no, it's not inherently wrong being rich nor is it right either. I don't place moral values on material goods. As for being greedy, I don't think I am, since I don't place a lot of value on money or other materialistic things and I wasn't the one who amassed that wealth in the first place. And I do believe that being rich does not make a person inherently greedy or materialistic. Nor does being rich force a person to live extravagantly, so rich people can live just as quietly as any other person.
As for what I think of wealth, it's of secondary value to me, I mean it's useful to have wealth, but it's not a primary goal or motivation in life. Should I be required to sacrifice it to reach a primary goal, I would do it.
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I was raised by a wealthy family and while my dad is very showy with his money (he says "what's the point of working hard if you have nothing to show for it?"), I'm extremely down to earth. My closest friends tend to be from lower class and they're usually very surprised when they find out I was raised rich.
So I think it could go either way. It always bugged me how my dad spent all his money on flashy cars, massive houses, and a TV in every room. He lost his job for a while and then our whole family was in a bind for years. The experience taught me that I'd rather save my extra money than spend it.
Life is cruisey and somewhat carefree, when one don't worry about the lack of resources. They also have more choices in life.
If they didn't earn the wealth in the first place, then they're going to lose it soon. Example: Bernie Madoff.
The ones who earn their wealth properly are the ones who give in the first place and they help others too. It balances out everything in the end.
No, I don't think all rich people are bad but some are nice and some are weird.
Being wealthy doesn't really just money because money has no value. It's what you want to use it for that is significant in your life. Real wealth is about having good health, good friends, and having the power to choose what you can enjoy around you.
do I think it's wrong to be rich? no, I'd love to have enough (not necessarily be megarich) so I could not work anymore and live the good life. working for other people blows. do I think rich people are bad? not at all. there are plenty of wealthy people who live quiet and even philanthropical lives that most of us don't even know about. being wealthy doesn't have to define who you are, it's still how you use that wealth just like average people with average money.
I think people have double standards.
When they want money, they're ambitious.
When someone else wants money, they're greedy.
When someone they like is wealthy, it's hard work.
When someone they don't like is wealthy, they didn't really earn their wealth.
I know some wealthy people who lead modest, quiet lives, so of course that's possible. I also know wealthy people who are some of the kindest, most generous people on the planet.
Why would someone who worked their ass off to be successful and actually achieved success necessarily be a bad person, anymore than anyone else?
There are definitely some wealthy people who are bad, but in general I think the media and liberal politicians just vilify the wealthy...
not necessarilly, I have seen rich people be incredibly nice and giving. I guess that the ones that worked for it will be good rich people, while hte ones that got it easy will have a hard time being good.
Being rich is not bad. But problem lies in the fact that they try to control others' lives using their wealth.
No its not wrong to be rich. Hard work should be rewarded
the smart rich people probably don't waste their money.
i htink you can me rich but you also have to help others
I think people can be rich as long as they don't overlook other people´s realities and do nothing to help them
It's the norm around here.
It's quite good to be rich.
i buy every thing
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