Southeastern Tipton County, Indiana | 150pilot - 8/24/2014 08:38 I have known several very affluent folks over the years and it all depends. Some remain salt of the earth, generous, and not showy. Others can't help themselves and get caught up in a game of whoever has the most wins. Many years ago the Wall Street Journal did a front page story about this and it was very well done. They separated the affluent into two groups, those who started with little and worked their way to the top whether through hard work, luck, or both. And those who had it handed to them. Interestingly all felt they had deserved every nickel for the efforts. Even the guy who was drilling a water well and struck a large oil reserve by mistake. Money is a tool. It's not the prize. People, faith, family, and relationships are the prize. However I do like tools. A local couple that are near my age are doing very well as Jeff is a CEO of a major corporation. When they come home to visit they are still pretty much the same Jeff and Marcia I knew as kids. Yes they are very wealthy but they are still down to earth people that will go out and tramp in cow poop helping their nieces and nephews with their 4-H cattle projects etc. One anecdote about Jeff, I was at a basketball game at a high school that is quite a distance from home. A lady from there came over to the group I was sitting with and asked if by chance we knew Jeff. Several of us responded yes as we were all the same age range. The lady then explained that her son had recently graduated college and went to work for the company Jeff is in charge of. She related that Jeff was visiting that facility and was going through the offices visiting with the employees and that her son was really excited because he found Jeff to be a regular guy that seemed to have a genuine interest in every person that worked there. Or, as she said her son told her, Mom! The CEO stopped in my cubicle, he's from Indiana too and he's a just regular guy. |
Do you think of people with too much money differently?
