TV shows give away millions for the right answer to a trivia question and our political leaders talk in the lingo of surplus billions. We fantasize about money not our parents or our friends , but our own, by our own success, and most of us search for it even today in our jobs, our life choices. My own fantasies are pretty basic, centering around the small, currently useless piece of plastic in my purse, which becomes a powerful, svelte Supercard, able to go places and not be declined. I use it at dinner with friends who ve come through for me when I can t pay my phone bill, and I say, Kids, it s on me, and my friends cheer me. These are the dreams I have of money, and of financial freedom from counting every penny, from staying on a budget, from making responsible choices but they are likely no more accurate than my nightmares of having none.
Money brings requirements with it, likely the least of which is less responsibility.
Be it by a church, a family, or a nosy neighbor, expectations and judgments of the wealthy in our society run rampant. I dream that I could live in seclusion with my money, inviting only nice people to my private island, but while the path of great money isn t heavily trodden, it certainly is watched. I know a young wealthy fellow with nary a higher education degree who made his fortune on a good idea and lucky timing, and if his small business ever goes public, he ll count his success by the millions be-fore he turns 25. I wouldn t expect of other people, as if his money somehow requires him to be a better person than I am. We don t talk as much about money as older generations, but we expect more from those who have it.