SUCCESS

“Many people want to have a successful career but the problem with having a high income is that you can become handcuffed to a certain lifestyle. For example, private education for children, an expensive home, two cars or luxury holidays seem to some to be a necessary part of life. If you’re not careful, you can begin to find that you see yourself purely in terms of material possessions. On the other hand, would this be a bad thing? Doesn’t everybody ideally want to earn a lot of money? And shouldn’t those who do, be free to spend it as they wish?”

Dear editor,

I am writing in response to the article putting the question about the desire for money and the material possessions they put. I am interested in this topic (as almost everybody else) because the ambitions and aims I have are absolutely connected with… my planned wealth.
On the one hand, to a certain extend I agree with the statement that having a high income makes you “handcuffed to a certain lifestyle” and it is logical. A simple example - this month your salary is $800 - would you buy a new Mercedes (the lyses payment per month is $780)? Now your brother's salary: Let's say it is $1800. He will buy the new Mercedes. If we continue - what is your expenditure per month for maintaining your car - $0. But how much is your brother's month expenditure - more than your salary. Moreover, when some time passes and you become pensioners neither you, nor your brother will have money for Mercedes and then it won't be different for you, but for your brother it will be a matter of some difficulty to get accustomed to not-having-Mercedes. People just get used to nice things and yes, at some moment people become handcuffed.

On the other hand, personally I think that everybody's striving for money is what is developing the world. You say in the article "everybody ideally wants to earn a lot of money" and I will add: this is what makes us study so many issues and what makes us work, what makes us create and invent. Do you remember socialism - people then weren't handcuffed to anything material because they didn't have any additional welfare. But in the same time they weren't starving for money because they knew they can't get any. Now, when it's democracy and everybody is working for himself (not for the country) everybody who has succeeded somehow to make some prosperity, is free to spend his money his way - no matter if we talk for private education, expensive home, two cars or expensive holidays. Furthermore, this person has my personal greetings!

Yours faithfully
Maria Almisheva