Money's Relative

I was watching the tube and a financial investment commercial aired.  An apparently downtrodden couple, seemingly in their fifties or early sixties, were lamenting  only $103,000.00 in assets. Today, I saw a twenty-seven year old Harvard dropout has been declared the youngest self made billionaire in the world.  What of the man with $28.00 in the bank and owes $44,000.00 on a $20,000 home. I’m asking for a friend. There are those in a position that sympathize with the couple.  Of course there are those that snicker and think, suckers.  

 

You see, (my friend) doesn’t know he’s poor unless he sees it or reads it.  The secret is not to believe it. I’m not going to give you a lame speil, “as long as I have my health, so long as I have friends and family.”  Blah, blah, blah. Health, family and friends are fine if you’ve got a couple nickels to rub together. My friend’s life has come along according to plan, when he eats, the whole family’s fed.  His mother told him years ago, “two can live as cheap as one, if one doesn’t eat,” and he prepared for his ‘golden’ years aptly. Now understand, the fella may not be wealthy but he’s not broke either. He eats more than regularly and drinks up a storm when a thirsty spell hits.  

 

It is said, youth is wasted on the young.  It is also thought by some, wealth is wasted on the elderly.  See how I did that, old/elderly? You never know who’s reading this stuff.  Of course given great wealth, the youthful often self destruct, absent the knowledge the old timer possesses.  The stereotypical billionaire, (it’s amazing there are enough to even have a stereotype) is an old curmudgeon who is either not convinced he can’t take it with him or  enough a narcissist, contends the world would be nothing without him anyway, so damn the environment or anything else that would crimp his walkin’ around money.

 

There are those however, with the big bucks that believe, they in fact cannot take it with them and would prefer to leave a better world for generations to come.  Buffett and Gates come to mind as two multi-billionaires with philanthropic, and environmental inclinations.  There are others and hopefully their number will grow.

In the interim, buy someone a sandwich that looks hungry and can’t afford one.  Find a charity worth giving to and give up some of that walkin’ around money you’ve got.  Give someone a job if you’re able  There is in fact a trickle down effect, but it’s from people like you, me and my friend.