Don't Be Sorry For Being Rich

photo courtesy of forbes

IN a number of social media groups I belong to, there is this post shared frequently. A post that, for lack of the appropriate word, tends to criminalize affluence and glorify poverty. Paraphrased, the post reads and I quote,

A bathing soap for five hundred dollars? Will it wash away my sins, tears, and sorrows? One eye glasses for one thousand five hundred dollars? If I wear it, will I be able to see the future? An Italian shoe for one thousand dollars? Will I be able to walk on water when I wear it? A plasma TV for three thousand dollars? Will it show my last day on earth? A gold plated mobile phone for twelve thousand dollars? Will I use the phone to answer a call from heaven? A hand bag for twenty thousand dollars? Will I put my life inside it? Ten thousand dollars for a table in a comedy show? What joke has never been shared or laughter never experienced? Fifteen thousand dollars per semester at a university? After graduation, will they make me the president? The post goes on and on.

This long post ends by stating and I quote again, ‘Sometimes, I wonder why some people spend like crazy, knowing fully well that there are hungry children in the streets roaming about naked’.

While most if not all of the answers to the rather cynical questions in the post are a big NO, it does not justify the tone and possibly intention that makes the rich guilty and the poor innocent. I therefore say, ‘Don’t be sorry for being rich’, and don’t be apologetic for all your noble efforts to be rich. You may differ, so I expect to hear from you.

Wealth, well acquired, is a beautiful thing. And research shows that some of the world’s wealthiest are also the world’s most generous. From Bill Gates to Oprah Winfrey to Africa’s richest, Aliko Dangote. Some of these men and women give away fortunes worth billions of dollars, and work hard to reduce the rich-poor gap.

photo courtesy of rsu

Don’t be caught in this self-righteous trap that criminalizes prosperity and glorifies poverty. In the same vein you must also not be trapped by the ‘me, I myself, get-it-all-to-myself syndrome’ that dehumanizes and commodifies people, a syndrome that seeks only for itself and no other, that looks at people as ‘commodity’. Like I tweeted recently, making the rich feel guilty for their wealth and the poor glorified in their poverty does not empower anyone. Let’s rather teach people to understand wealth creation and make an enabling environment for it.

Creating wealth and enjoying wealth requires a good balance no doubt. You should therefore learn how to strike the balance, and not feel guilty or glorified. And how do you strike the balance?

As a rule, always understand that life is bigger than you. This should help direct your thoughts and actions

Together, we make bigger impact. There is strength and sense in numbers. Encourage the building of bridges and teams.

Engage in projects that empower people and the environment. It’s always a win-win situation at the end.

So don’t stop or be discouraged by your noble efforts to get rich. See you at the top.

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Whether you succeed or not, is really in your hands. Remember that when you set the sails, God sends the wind.

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