by sherry
exhibit a -
I flew down to SD this weekend to visit a very dear friend of mine who landed in the hospital for over a month from a freak accident that nearly took his life. He’s doing much better now, but what was once his outgoing and cheerful attitude is replaced with a somber soft-spokenness and fragile mental state that can only heal with time. He’s gone through hell and back. To him, being able to make something with the newfound appreciation he has on life is important. Being alive is important. Being careful and having friends and family as support and knowing that he is blessed is important.
..which leads me to exhibit b -
I ran into an old friend on my flight down to SD that same day. I met him four years ago and he used to help me with my math homework. He was smart, a science major, and extremely kind. On Friday, I asked him what he was up to since the last time we spoke, and he said that he had come home to sign his papers for a recent employment offer from Deloitte. Deloitte? Turns out, he realized there was no money to be made if he doesn’t go to grad school with his original major, and chose to double in Management Science instead. “Do you know how much money an i-banker makes? SOOOOOO much. That’s what I want to be”. “The guy who inspired me was a banker, and he said he had so much money that during lunch time he would walk around the mall and just buy a suit. Just like that! I want to be able to do that”. Really? You’re excited about a suit that you can buy with all the money you’re going to make? That you have to wear to work the next day? Great. Anyway, he asked me about my plans and I noted that while I’m working for an investment firm right now, I want to eventually become a teacher. Said friend goes “yeah. But only be a teacher when you’re RICH. That’s when you get RESPECT”. To him, money means everything. It means you can buy all the materialistic wants you can ever imagine, like a suit at the mall. It means people will respect you when you’re part of the 1%. Money is important.
It pains me to see what a stark contrast these views are. There’s so much more to life than a bank account.
I agree! I have a friend, well more of an acquaintance now, that’s the same way. It’s all about the money, but also the prestige of being some corporate fella. I mean, it’s fine pursuing a career for its prestige. Hell, people become doctors for that same reason, but for my friendly acquaintance, he seemed to have lost his compassion for making an impact on the world, a while back. I think it’s him being influenced by elitist Harvard pigs on the East Coast. Anyways, he’s all about making money and cares little for anything else. It makes me a little sick.