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"Ultimately, the only power to which man
should aspire is that which he exercises over himself"
Elie Wiesel
Elie Wiesel, born in1928 in Romania, is an American-Jewish novelist, political activist, and Holocaust survivor. He is the author of over 40 books, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986.
should aspire is that which he exercises over himself"
Elie Wiesel
Elie Wiesel, born in1928 in Romania, is an American-Jewish novelist, political activist, and Holocaust survivor. He is the author of over 40 books, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986.
Riches are not Filth
By Elena Shoval
Many people avoid getting rich because they believe being
rich will contaminate their soul. Is this true?
Let's face a painful truth about rich people: Although most of us
envy them and look at them in awe, deep down we loath them,
despise their existence, and even when they want to donate
generously to society, we are often suspicious of their true goals.
Somehow, many people believe rich people got their fortune
unjustly, through deceit, corruption and other unflattering traits,
or by inheriting it from someone who cheated, or exploited others.
No matter how those people got their fortune, we usually hate
them for it. So much so, that many of us, who regard ourselves
as honest and decent, would rather cut off our right arm, than
join this unsavory club of wealthy people.
This hostile attitude toward wealthy people is as ancient as
human history. Just the other day, I was looking for
inspiring quotes about getting rich, and found myself swamped
with aphorisms expressing hostility toward wealthy people. On
the other hand, finding quotes praising being rich was near
impossible.
"If all the rich people in the world divided up their money among themselves there wouldn't be enough to go around", said in 1938
Christina Stead, an Australian novelist. In other words, being rich according to Stead, means being greedy, and nobody likes greedy
people!
G.K Chesterton, an English author, was harsher than that: "The
rich are the scum of the earth in every country", he said in 1914.
Apparently he was not the only one who didn't think very highly of
rich people. "If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to", said Dorothy Parker, an American author, humorist, poet and wit.
Many writers and intellectuals throughout history believe that having money corrupts the soul, and is not the answer to happiness. "He who increases his assets - increases his worries", says an ancient Jewish proverb. "Make money your God, and it will plague you like the devil", said Henry Fielding, an English dramatist and novelist about 300 years ago. Why does he say this? Perhaps because: "No one can earn a million dollars honestly", according to William Jennings Bryan, an American lawyer, orator and politician who died 82 years ago.
No wonder we call the very rich - "filthy rich".
Why we hate the rich
Why do rich people arouse such hostility and antagonism? Why does being rich have such a bad reputation? Is it because of envy that we spread such ugly rumors? Or is it because we know for a fact, that no one can get rich honestly, and all rich people get their fortune by conning others?
The answer is somewhere in between. We envy rich people, wish to be as privileged as they are, and since we aren’t, we are filled with resentment toward those who managed to get what we could not. At the same time, it is no secret that there are many rich people, who deserve their bad reputation. Many of them robbed their countries, bribed governments, cheated and deceived their competitors, neighbors, employees, and some times even their own family
members.
<back ...1/2/next>
By Elena Shoval
Many people avoid getting rich because they believe being
rich will contaminate their soul. Is this true?
Let's face a painful truth about rich people: Although most of us
envy them and look at them in awe, deep down we loath them,
despise their existence, and even when they want to donate
generously to society, we are often suspicious of their true goals.
Somehow, many people believe rich people got their fortune
unjustly, through deceit, corruption and other unflattering traits,
or by inheriting it from someone who cheated, or exploited others.
No matter how those people got their fortune, we usually hate
them for it. So much so, that many of us, who regard ourselves
as honest and decent, would rather cut off our right arm, than
join this unsavory club of wealthy people.
This hostile attitude toward wealthy people is as ancient as
human history. Just the other day, I was looking for
inspiring quotes about getting rich, and found myself swamped
with aphorisms expressing hostility toward wealthy people. On
the other hand, finding quotes praising being rich was near
impossible.
"If all the rich people in the world divided up their money among themselves there wouldn't be enough to go around", said in 1938
Christina Stead, an Australian novelist. In other words, being rich according to Stead, means being greedy, and nobody likes greedy
people!
G.K Chesterton, an English author, was harsher than that: "The
rich are the scum of the earth in every country", he said in 1914.
Apparently he was not the only one who didn't think very highly of
rich people. "If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to", said Dorothy Parker, an American author, humorist, poet and wit.
Many writers and intellectuals throughout history believe that having money corrupts the soul, and is not the answer to happiness. "He who increases his assets - increases his worries", says an ancient Jewish proverb. "Make money your God, and it will plague you like the devil", said Henry Fielding, an English dramatist and novelist about 300 years ago. Why does he say this? Perhaps because: "No one can earn a million dollars honestly", according to William Jennings Bryan, an American lawyer, orator and politician who died 82 years ago.
No wonder we call the very rich - "filthy rich".
Why we hate the rich
Why do rich people arouse such hostility and antagonism? Why does being rich have such a bad reputation? Is it because of envy that we spread such ugly rumors? Or is it because we know for a fact, that no one can get rich honestly, and all rich people get their fortune by conning others?
The answer is somewhere in between. We envy rich people, wish to be as privileged as they are, and since we aren’t, we are filled with resentment toward those who managed to get what we could not. At the same time, it is no secret that there are many rich people, who deserve their bad reputation. Many of them robbed their countries, bribed governments, cheated and deceived their competitors, neighbors, employees, and some times even their own family
members.
<back ...1/2/next>
"Become a creator, not a competitor; get what you want, but in such a way that when you
get it - every
other man will have more than
he has now"
get it - every
other man will have more than
he has now"
