The line of poverty and the rich. The dog eat dog world rules do not benefit those that believe that somehow the world must live in oneness. Or is the massive indoctrination of capitalism that programs my mindset to think in this fashion? For the way I see it, almost, if not, everyone wants wealth in one way or another. Therefore, to accumulate wealth one needs to learn the rules and play by those rules.
What are those rules? The rules of wealth creation? With the basic knowledge that I am armored with, one has come to learn that wealth is power. That leads one to understand that the rules of wealth are the same or rather, closely resemble the rules of power and accumulation of power. Power, Robert Greene and Machiavelli in their respective books go in great depths unwrapping the covers of power and how to get it. Can the same be applied to wealth? When listening to various entrepreneurs and various stakeholders of wealth, one begins to learn that wealth and the creation of wealth is not for the weak. It is a very “give me give me or I will take” system. The idea of being wealthy is very appealing to many. Who wouldn’t want to be a position to purchase the car of their dreams? To pursue the degree of their passion? Wealth is the door that has the ability to create the portal to transport dreams to the real world. It is because of that, that wealth attracts many people, both young and old.
However, becoming wealthy isn’t as easy as seen in the movies. I believe this is why that wealth is enjoyed only among the very 1% of the population. The ability to conjure the energy and drive to become productive in order to reap the benefits of being wealthy, not many cannot do that. I was listening to a documentary about inequality in the world and the interviewer was asking this one German billionaire about how he feels about his own wealth and the wealth generated by his security guard. Very unapologetically, the German wealth magnate said that it is nonsense to compare his wealth to that of his security guard. His reasons being that in the past three years he has had only three sick leaves. That he once slipped one of his backbones but still got to work. It is interesting that when the interviewer began interviewing the workforce; one began to see how the German billionaire is able to reap the benefits that he is enjoying. His PA listed the German wealth magnate’s tasks and appointments and the interviewer, jokingly, asked if he ever slept. The PA said that she has heard rumors of 4 to 5 hours of sleep for the wealth magnate. Cutting back to the German billionaire, he says that the task of the PA is as stressful as his own and then added to say that the PA was fresh with just 6 months in the job. While he has been at it for more than 20 years.
This brought me back to my own environment and I couldn’t help but remember my previous employer. I used to hear the complaints from employees about how this man is unfair and unjust. How he doesn’t pay them fairly and the whole lot. Interesting is that these employees who would complain the most, were the ones who would every Friday fall ill, who after 2 weeks demand their off days and these were the employees who during their work shifts, deliver the least amount of productivity to the workforce. One would say that the employees in question were merely the bad crop of the workplace. However, similar traits could be seen with almost all the good crop of the workforce. Their complaints were endless. Yes, these were the hard workers of the place. The ones that if they were to decide to leave, their absence would be felt. However, they complained as much as the bad crop. While the owner of the place, remained constant for more than 20 years since opening the restaurant. It marveled me at how constant the man was in his running of the place. He worked as if it was the first year of operations. I remember he once told me that at the beginning of his venture, he would work “open- close” every day, all year. Open-close is basically from the start of business hours to the end which is from 6am to 22pm. Clearly this man to be in the financial position he is in, he worked for it.
Yes, there will always be the division of the poor and the rich. The same way there is hot and cold, the same way there is hate and love; there shall always be rich and poor. However, I seek to understand why is that the poor who want to be rich remain poor. Is it perhaps their mindset? That while poor, we acknowledge the need to accumulate wealth. We see and become motivated with the why we must accumulate wealth. Yet the trigger to shoot the ambition and drive to make the wealth keeps shooting blanks. Is it perhaps lazy? Comfort? Why is it that we can with great enthusiasm speak about having numbers so long “you can dial them” yet not apply the rules of wealth accumulation? From a personal level, the need to become wealthy comes from the wanting to drive the BMWs. To hire a professional nurse to care for my parents in the comfort of their home. Somehow, this drive in me I share with many others. Yet in this communal sharing, it seems that I and other few have made the decision to go for it. I come to understand what Kobe meant when he said it came a time that he decided that he will be the best. That he went to the courts practicing every day, sharpening his skills to become the best. Even Will Smith said the same thing that one just has to decide. It is a decision we all have to make.
Can the line between the rich and the poor than be summed up to it being a decision one takes? Yes, the hole does go much deeper and does become more complex than just deciding to become wealth. That decision must be driven by some great need or desire. Tupac used to say that for the fact tomorrow’s not promised, he has to do everything he can today. For Steve Jobs the idea of changing the world with the personal computer drove his motivations. The idea of wealth creation one has come to understand it is the measure of one’s productivity. Not everyone has to be trading at Wall Street to become a millionaire. However, those at Wall Street have mastered the understanding that time is money. The time invested into one’s productivity is one that a few are willing to invest in. We seem to be comfortable with the mediocre as a people and later become baffled as to why weren’t our dreams fulfilled. This crime against ourselves robs us of an experience to be alive and enjoy life. It is true that the wealthy do not have time to rest as most people. What they do have however, is the time to enjoy life in a way that most people cannot. Thus making wealth this fantasy that lures people to it. A fantasy to become a reality requires a certain level of strength and determination that those who are not ready for it cannot conjure within.
One has come to the acceptance that there will be the poor and this will never change. Worse for the Blackman who was robbed of his wealth. However, at this point in time, one has come to the acceptance that one wants wealth. Unapologetically so. The need to be a position to enjoy the finer things in life that only money can buy has to some great extent, defined the motivation for one to put the work in and become wealthy. Wealth is the key to escape the mundane and programming of the world. The wealthy seem to live a life that are dreams to many. The interesting part about this is the fact that those wealthy individuals are humans too. They are made of flesh and blood. Yes, others could have come from wealthy families and so forth but others who reap the benefits of wealth also come from the pits of poverty. Therefore, wealth creation beginning with a decision seems as the logical starting point to becoming wealthy. One hears how rappers began simply as rappers and only hope to become wealthy and in most cases, famous too. What always struck me is the fact that these rappers on their journey of becoming world leading rappers, they understood that wealth plays a certain a role and then only begin to learn about wealth and tailor their art to appeal to a greater audience and so forth. It is great foolish thinking that we should ever believe money falls from the heavens or one needs only follow their passion and surely, the doors of heaven will open. One needs to learn and apply what they learn to be wealthy. Unlike a talent or a natural attribute, wealth is manmade. Moreover, because it is manmade, it needs one to apply themselves in creating it. One can be born with extremely beautiful features or be athletically gifted but that person will not see wealth unless they learn how to apply their natural gifts to become wealth. This has been the tragic case for many brilliant minds that pioneered new thinking and world changing philosophies and yet remain poor even until their deathbeds.
It is a choice we have to make- to become wealthy. The choice could come from refusing to die broke or the choice could come from aiming to be the best at whatever it is that wakes you up in the morning. It is the choice we make. It is that choice, driven by an insatiable need or want, that draws the line between being rich- or being poor.