Good news! The economy is proving… well that’s what they’re saying anyway.
The numbers surely support it, except that really it’s the rich who are behind all those pretty numbers. And by that I mean that the wealthy population is benefitting largely from the spur in economic growth, and the poor and the kind of poor, well not so much.
I suppose it makes sense though, given the logical standpoint that those who are the most economically active are benefitting the most from the spur in economic activity… it almost seems silly to think otherwise, and it is. I mean, if your name is Tim Cook and you’re the CEO of Apple, the economy is doing great for all you know. You’re sitting on a boatload of corporate cash, shipping a chunk of it over to Chinese factories to manufacture new products, teaming up with large corporations to establish a new payment software system, all while taking in even more cash from the 20 million people who just bought your new iPhones over the past several weeks. I mean, the supply chain for Apple alone creates a ton of economic activity both domestically and internationally, creating value measured by Apple’s large cash position.
But a middle class youngster like myself… not so much economic activity created. In fact, many in poor economic conditions are riding out the financial drought waiting for Apple and thousands of other large corporations to expand widely enough to create new job opportunities. Sitting. Waiting. Wishing. Blaming the government while waiting for their checks. Blaming the rich while waiting for their checks.
But what if life was meant for more, for active participation in human creation; for meaningful contributions to service society better? What if the economy, in reality, had less to do with making ends meet and more to do with monetizing our values, our creations, and serving others? What if the rich weren’t rich because they are greedy, but because they’re brilliantly valuable? Even the investors, who tied their boatloads of money into companies like Apple, or Ford, or pharmaceutical companies, or government debt, or mortgages, or student loans? If we remembered what investments do for the economy, then wouldn’t it be more difficult to blame the greedy rich for their money, those of whom actually own a stake in financing the creation of my iPhone, or of creating my car, or of the research for my medicine, or of the construction of our public roads, or of my NYC apartment, or of my entire schooling? One could even argue that money is more democratic than our political system, given that the supply of money is directed to where it is demanded most.
More importantly, what if the supply of money was directed right into your hands, given you had the potential to provide an immeasurable value to society? In fact, there is an entire pocket of funds from venture capitalists, waiting for investment opportunities into small businesses and start up companies, especially for middle class folks who have amazing ideas within a passionate vision, but lack the funds to finance its chance to create real economic value in the world. Moreover, there is a way to raise the capital yourself given you emulate the habits of the rich, especially in terms of spending and saving, and investing your own savings as they grow. Certain principles (which you can read from authors such as Robert Kiyosaki, Stephen Covey, George Samuel Clason). Life can be of much more significance trying and even failing (with resilience) in several business ventures in your 20’s than being cut a small portion of the money reaped by the wealthy executive who signs your paycheck until you’re 65.
The Millennial generation is not a security-oriented generation. It is a passionate generation of visionaries comprised of individuals who just need the proper faith in his or her own value, coupled with the right mentality to exercise successful principles. And that mentality need not be a mentality governed by poverty or fear thereof. Being successful is a mentality. Being rich is a product of being successful. And many of the self-made wealthiest visionaries in the world today were rich even when they had no money because they had a rich mentality. Invest instead of spend. Dream instead of everything else. Connect. Read. Learn. Take a leap of faith. If we want the system to change, if we want to narrow the wealth gap, let’s change the poor instead of the rich.
“Poverty needs no plan. It needs no one to aid it, because it is bold and ruthless. Riches are shy and timid. They have to be ‘attracted.'” -Napoleon Hill
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