Rich Lifestyle

[Bongo Fury 640]

Below is a copy of a post I made recently in the June picture thread. I did not want to hijack that great thread so I thought I would post here.

 

My son posted up these exact same pictures on his Facebook page in a photo album entitled " Boys Weekend at the Lake". One of his friends commented on the pictures by saying "You and your Rich Lifestyle". Others "Liked" the comment. I think it is bothering me more than him. When we talked about last night he said that he gets it all the time. That many of his friends tease him about the big house he lives in, the house at the lake, etc etc etc.

 

My wife and I are older than most of his friends parents and as such have accumulated more. We work hard and save, and I know we are blessed to be more fortunate than most. Clearly being rich is in the eye of the beholder and in my eyes I am successful but not rich. I wonder what is going on when society looks at success and makes it a bad thing, and actually ridicules people because of it. I am seeing more and more evidence of this type of discourse in the news and even among people we know well. I admire people who have been successful and while I might want a bigger house or boat, I am not putting anyone down because I don't have it. I think it is a very dangerous path we are on.

 

Thanks for letting me vent...I can't believe how pissed off this thing has made me. I need to get back to my rich lifestyle and get back on the water!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I took my sixteen year old and two of his friends up for a boys weekend. It was the first time either of them had been on a tow boat. Great time!

 

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[zetchvp 0]

You said it right, the news, society, all sorts of people shaking fingers at those who have worked their donkeys off to create wealth for themselves and those around them. It is a wild world when the successful become targets, if this keeps up the entrepreneurial spirit that drives our people will disappear. It's almost as if there is a big plan to get rid of the upper-middle class...

[zetchvp 0]

Oh, and that weekend looked like fun. Nothing more enjoyable then time on the water with those who you care about.

[DrNate 426]

Oh, don't get me started. I could rant an hour about this. Let's just say that you put it very well zetchvp. And I'm glad you had a great weekend with your son. Nothing better

[LakeSurfer 10]

Every day this country looses that 1950s workman mentality that you work hard and build a fortune/family over time. Now everything is about instant gratification and standing around with your hand out asking people to just give you something. This is only going to get worse unless. If Obama had it his way, he would structure our economy and social welfare system after the French (and you can see how well Socialism is working for them and the rest of Europe).

[superdtf 68]

I have a different POV. I work very hard, and I'm very good at what I do, we prioritize what we spend on (we don't buy new cars, and we live in a modestly sized home in a conservative neighborhood), and mostly we've been blessed. I see plenty of people who are just as smart as I am, work at least as hard as I do, and have not found the success that I have. So I think two things are wrong:

1. It is foolish to ridicule those who have found success.
   
2. If you have found success, it is foolish to take credit for it. Only idiots don't recognize that they owe it all to parents, teachers, neighbors, spouse, environment, infrastructure, and sometimes blind/dumb luck.
   

I hope you see your son's friends' comments for what they are: envy. And I hope you invite those kids to your lakehouse and out on the lake with them. How else will they learn to ski, wakeboard, surf, etc.?

[Kevin Baugh 78]

X2^

Unfortunatley our kids are seeing these kind of comments from many of our politicians

Edited June 12, 2012 by Kevin Baugh

[LakeSurfer 10]

1. If you have found success, it is foolish to take credit for it. Only idiots don't recognize that they owe it all to parents, teachers, neighbors, spouse, environment, infrastructure, and sometimes blind/dumb luck.
   

 

 

I dont agree with this. Only an idiot would think he did it all by himself, but to not give any credit to the person that made it happen is not right. Reality is that most people that build a nest egg on their own, do it by working hard and accumulating wealth over their entire lives. Sure, some people win the lottery, but most continue to put themselves in positions/opportunities to succeed. They dont succeed every time, but if you keep at it most will see success. Do family/friends/colleagues/dumb luck play a big role, absolutely.

 

Also, everybody's definition of success is different and is not just measured in $, but many things. I know guys with a sh*t load of money and they are miserable. I also know family's living month to month and they are happy as could be.

Edited June 12, 2012 by LakeSurfer

[truekaotik 458]

Now everything is about instant gratification and standing around with your hand out asking people to just give you something..

I also 100% agree with this statement.... Our youths immaturity is bleeding into the adult world as we know it....

[superdtf 68]

 

 

I dont agree with this. Only an idiot would think he did it all by himself, but to not give any credit to the person that made it happen is not right. Reality is that most people that build a nest egg on their own, do it by working hard and accumulating wealth over their entire lives. Sure, some people win the lottery, but most continue to put themselves in positions/opportunities to succeed. They dont succeed every time, but if you keep at it most will see success. Do family/friends/colleagues/dumb luck play a big role, absolutely.

 

Also, everybody's definition of success is different and is not just measured in $, but many things. I know guys with a sh*t load of money and they are miserable. I also know family's living month to month and they are happy as could be.

I agree heartily with your thoughts on the definition of success.

 

But the part about "give credit to the person that made it happen..." I suppose you could, but what purpose does it serve? I can only imagine peril in taking credit for your success, and I don't understand what the upside would be. Why is it good to take credit or give credit to a person for his/her success? Generally we don't like to hear it. When an athlete says something like, "Yeah, I knew I was more talented and worked harder than the losers. I deserved everything I won." That usually sounds really blind, proud, and foolish. But when he says, "I thank the people like my parents who supported me, coaches who mentored me, a father who worked hard so that I might participate,..." You get the idea.

 

So the question is: Why should I take credit for my success? To me, taking credit for my success is only pride and vanity.

[truekaotik 458]

You don't want to hear my point of view then guys, I disagree with alot of what people said on this post but super... Lol

I grew up low middle class, still am not wealthy and live month to month sometimes.... Kids have done this since I was in high school... Nothing new to me.. I agree that you see it for what it is... Jealousy and envy, nothing more.... Brush it off and enjoy the fact your kids are blessed with no type of restraint.. Still invite them up and show them a good time with a smile....

[superdtf 68]

You don't want to hear my point of view then guys, I disagree with alot of what people said on this post but super... Lol

I grew up low middle class, still am not wealthy and live month to month sometimes.... Kids have done this since I was in high school... Nothing new to me.. I agree that you see it for what it is... Jealousy and envy, nothing more.... Brush it off and enjoy the fact your kids are blessed with no type of restraint.. Still invite them up and show them a good time with a smile....

X2^^ Make sure that your boat introduces people to the joy and magic of being together on the lake.

[jaxcenturion 5]

I have gotten that my whole life. Why Because my parents owned a business and did well with it. Fast forward a little, I moved out when I was 18 and have been on my own since. Now I still work with them, my parents, but I have paid my way and worked extremely hard for the things My wife and I have. So still to this day people that I see out in public that I went to school with still think that I live off mommy and daddy...And I can tell you that is the furthest thing from the truth there is. My wife pulls her equal weight and then coming home after work and take care of our son and do normal house chores.

 

I joked for a long time after I ordered my centurion, it was going to be called "side job". Because I work 50-60 hours at my job, then I find extra work evening and weekends and saved enough to order my boat. This is the first purchase New I had made. All of my vehicles were new used (i dont wanna take the initial loss, our house we got in the beginning of the down turn, etc). Also we take very good care of out things, people also associate clean, shiny, good looking with expensive! We try to be smart, but enjoy life as well..

 

So to those people who posted those comments IMO, are very jealous..But the way I look at it, if they were to get out and bust their A$& like everyone here on this site does, they would be able to have the nice things as well. But it seems with this economy, way too many people are wanting things handed on a silver platter to them.. I just dont get it.

 

I can sit here and talk hours about this....Im stopping my rant.....

 

I agree with you 100%, it would piss me off to no end!

[DrNate 426]

that argument is like nature vs. nurture. It is a combination of both, it is impossible for it to be all someone else's credit or all of my credit. But I can tell you this: no one else is gonna work hard for me. I know that!

[LakeSurfer 10]

I agree heartily with your thoughts on the definition of success.

 

But the part about "give credit to the person that made it happen..." I suppose you could, but what purpose does it serve? I can only imagine peril in taking credit for your success, and I don't understand what the upside would be. Why is it good to take credit or give credit to a person for his/her success? Generally we don't like to hear it. When an athlete says something like, "Yeah, I knew I was more talented and worked harder than the losers. I deserved everything I won." That usually sounds really blind, proud, and foolish. But when he says, "I thank the people like my parents who supported me, coaches who mentored me, a father who worked hard so that I might participate,..." You get the idea.

 

So the question is: Why should I take credit for my success? To me, taking credit for my success is only pride and vanity.

 

I am not saying you go out and say "look at how successful I am" what I am saying that people these days seem to think that people that have been successful have NOT worked for it. Rather, people these days act like it just landed in their lap. Any person that goes out and says "look how successful I am" is not any better than the person that says "You and Your Rich Lifestyle" or "You have to much so you should just give me some"

[LakeSurfer 10]

that argument is like nature vs. nurture. It is a combination of both, it is impossible for it to be all someone else's credit or all of my credit. But I can tell you this: no one else is gonna work hard for me. I know that!

 

exactly.

[truekaotik 458]

Biting my tongue.......

[LakeSurfer 10]

Biting my tongue.......

Why?

[superdtf 68]

 

...what I am saying that people these days seem to think that people that have been successful have NOT worked for it."

Where I live, nobody would say anything so foolish. If their kids did, then those parents would reign them in quickly. I'm guessing that's why I had such a different take on it. I would feel indignant if someone pointed to something we had (like a boat) and said that it had fallen in our lap (without recognition of the other sacrifices we make in order to have it). But to balance that out, in a very real sense, it DID fall in our lap. Like I said, I know plenty of folks who work at least as hard as I do, and are not as fortunate. So now I'm stuck and torn about how to express it - maybe it's like this: "Work your a$$ off like it all depends on you, and give thanks like it all depends on grace."

[truekaotik 458]

These are kids, immature jealous kids... Your bleeding two different aspect of our society ( kids and adults) and I have a way different view for the two... That's all, I don't want to go off on how kids are handed things in society today that are well off and most make nothing of themselves without there parents money. Yes, some do it on there own steam but that is declining rapidly.. Oops sorry I started...

Back to Bongos post... These are kids... They are very impressionable at this age and when you show them a good time and bring them into your inner circle and they know your kids for who they really are, your teaching change... It may of even been made in a joken ly manner.... Why be mad that someone called you rich?? Is it a bad thing now these days?? If someone mistakens me for rich, I don't get upset... It's just a mindset in our society that most of the rich are handed things. You know the truth of your situation... Be happy with that and have a wonderful time!! The way our government has been these last four years, you may loose it sooner than you know .