On riches and arrogance

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On riches and arrogance

BUSINESS MATTERS(Beyond the bottom line) 

By Francis J. Kong  

(The Philippine Star)

Updated February 2, 2014

There is an overabundance of books today that teach you how to be rich. I know people who jump into the bandwagon and start churning out books and giving seminars on the subject of money.  These authors assure you that once you read their books you will become rich. They give seminars that promise you the moon and the stars; that after attending you will be wealthy, will be able to buy a luxury car, and can travel the world in record time. Stay away from those rubbish.

You will never hear me say, “I Want You to Get Rich.”  You’ll never read that in my books or encounter that in my seminars either.  Instead, I want you to BE rich. Getting rich with money and being rich as a person are two different things. There are people with loads of cash who are wallowing in poverty as far as living life and pursuing meaning is concerned.

In the Scriptures the apostle Paul tells Timothy to command rich people not to be arrogant. Now let me be clear. There are people without money who are also pompous—especially the envious and insecure ones. But they are marginalized; they could not do much except yap. But it’s an entirely different thing when people with tons of money become haughty. They can really go out and harm others.

Why do some rich people become arrogant? The unfortunate thing is that we help them become so.

Have you ever found yourself in a party where there is a circle of people around an extremely rich person, where everybody seems to make him or her the center of attention, and where that person makes all of us feel like we are mere mortals?

And whatever they say, everybody seems to go, “Yes, you’re right, you’re right.” Most of us agree with rich people because they are so wealthy that they can’t possibly be wrong. They’re probably the smartest person in the room.

Sometimes, or perhaps on many occasions, when a person gets rich they think that they become smarter. They think that their IQ goes up with their income. They may have become rich because they’re smart, but getting rich doesn’t necessarily make them more intelligent.

Paul says, “Do not be arrogant or put your hope in wealth, which is so uncertain.”

When you start to have more money, when you get that raise, the windfall, the bonus, the commission, when all things are looking good, something begins to happen to your hope. As your lifestyle increases, your hope begins to migrate toward the accumulation of wealth. And then the fear of losing it all is even greater. The economic recession that has sent many into bankruptcy becomes a horror that haunts rich people all the time. The adage is true: The wealthier they are, the more afraid they are of dying, because they don’t want to lose it all.

Another Proverb goes, “The wealth of the rich is their fortified city.”

When you get rich, do not think you are invincible because you can finally save your way to safety. You might begin to value people less and value material objects more. “They are just objects,” you may think.

I hope you become rich. I hope you have tons of money. But don’t be arrogant. I hope you use your money to help and bless others who don’t have money.

Why do you want to have everything money can buy? Where are you going to store all of your stuff in the first place? Learn to live a life of meaning and service to others. For after all, you can’t take your riches with you; they can’t fit in the box!