Working Mothers Juggling Career And Family Ask: Why Was I Not Born Or Married Rich?
I am the first one to admit that if God, or some creator let me design my own life, I would make myself the only child of mega-rich parents. It does not necessarily mean that I would sit around and do nothing all day, or party my life away. In fact, I might even devote my life to good causes and do lots of volunteer work. The point is that life carries a different focus if one does not spend the majority of the waking hours slaving away to earn a living.
If God, or some creator were to deny me that wish, my second choice would be the one that most young girls (and grown women) dream of: be the wife of a billionaire. When Ivana Trump spoke to womens groups about how to survive a divorce, her newly divorced husband Donald said cynically that the advice was simple: marry a rich man.
Reality is that we are not given the chance to design our own life. For one thing, we do not choose our biological parents whose genes dictate our physical appearance and mental capability. Offspring of short parents can rule out being professional basketball players (for males) or fashion models (for females). I would argue with anyone that life does not start off equal, and it never will be. Some people are simply born with more resources or privileges. It is grace from the creator.
However, borrowing a line from the music group, the Eagles, every form of refuge has its price. The person in charge of the resources from which we draw our livelihood is essentially the boss.
A person born rich is often kept under the thumb of the parents for years until he or she can finally inherit the family fortune. A woman married to a rich man spends a good chunk of her life working out to stay beautiful to fend off competition, and often has to turn a blind eye to affairs and mistresses in order to stay married.
The working mother, on the other hand, can fire the boss at work by changing jobs. My view is that it will always be easier to find a new job than to find another mega-rich parent or billionaire husband.
It appears that people born or married rich may have more resources and privileges, but the working person has choice, which means freedom. So if you are not asset or cash rich, you can at least strive to be mentally rich. That does not sound so bad, does it?
Debbie Yeung
Last updated on January 20, 2017 at 8:20 pm. Word Count: 427