Getting Used To Luxury

Sure, you may say. Many people believe that living luxurious lives, and getting used to it, is a symbol of authority and wealth. In my eyes, these people are like horses that are wearing blinkers, or as in the old Chinese proverb, looking at a leopard through a narrow tube（管中窺豹）, or to miss the big picture. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, read on.

A millionaire is living in a huge house in London. He has twenty servants serving him at any time and he never has to worry about money. Suddenly his company goes bankrupt because of the local economy. He fires all his servants and sells his house and starts all over again. He realizes that he doesn’t even know how to do the simplest things that even a six year old child would know, like doing the laundry, or even running the bath. He feels exasperated. You might laugh. You might cry. But don’t you see that this man has completely bathed in luxury? Let’s compare this with another case. A poor couple is living in a little shack in the east end of London. They don’t have money, but they’re really happy. Both of them are used to hard work and embrace it in their arms. Don’t you think that one would rather be the poor couple?

In another sense, being unused to good things that happen is being grateful. The reason why people label rich kids as “snobby” is because they have very high expectations of people around them to serve and to respect them. They are never thankful and will never be content with what they have. In short, they will never be happy.

So would you rather be that wretched millionaire, or that happy hardworking couple? It’s your choice; weigh the chances against each other, and make that decision. JC