A Rich Man or a Poor Man with Money?

Many people arise from the clutches of poverty or an austere living consuming meager quantities of food to bathe in handsome riches after the harsh struggle. Yet, there are some (a select group of people) who refuse to embrace the vastness of their accumulated riches or need some time to realize that they truly have it all. Instead of embracing these earned riches head-on, they continue living a little more than comfortable by making small modifications to their current living status and focus on making more money rather than spend it lavishly.

Are they under an illusion? Do the ghosts of their past forbid them to see who they really are, which is, rich people with heaps of money? Why are they so averse to spending and pampering themselves like so many men and women who were born into opulence?

While there are many real-life examples (including my parents who live modestly, when in fact, they can spend on exorbitantly priced items and still have money to invest in other ventures), there are celebrities too who choose not to attend those opulent parties or spend more than necessary:

1. Keanu Reeves has made ample millions to sustain a luxurious lifestyle, yet he stayed in numerous rented apartments during his rising years of stardom. It was only in 2003, post his Neo fame and after some stalker issues, that he purchased a mansion on Hollywood Hills and an apartment in Manhattan.
2. Christina Ricci, until recently, lived in a modest three bedroom apartment even though she had copious amounts of money to purchase a posh bungalow.
3. Paul McCartney’s daughter famously called her father a ‘tight bastard’ because he refused to pay for her tuition fees in a private institution and would only pay it if she went to a government run state school.

Granted, celebrities often generate stories through PR agents in order to stay on the news, but I’m sure you’ve met people in your life who live modestly without diving head first onto a bed of green money (figuratively and metaphorically).

I ask myself: Why do these people fail to embrace their riches and spend generously without any hindrance while others find it so easy to do so? I think, it’s not even the case of the past haunting you, although it does, but more than that I think it is because these people have seen what a lack of money can do to someone. They have known the value of money since childhood because their parents struggled to make ends meet. More importantly, they understand wealth more than those born into richness, especially its power of making even the most righteous person a corrupt and evil one. They have known its tendencies of fostering greediness, particularly under the ruse of greedy relatives who are itching to get their hands on any dime they can procure.

Rich people are born with aplenty and will never see that side of life. Even if they do, the many layers of wealth will protect them against greed and other evils that often come along with money (such as fighting for inheritance). But middle class people know that money is only a means to an end, it is never The End. They want enough just to get by and know very well that with a little money you can live well. And lavishly. Not just in your wallet, but also in your heart.