money essay

Individuals will be individuals. This includes people from any sort of social class, whether it be rich or por. People say that those that are wealthy tend to often be ridden with distaste and selfishness. However, it is not the money that has made them to be like that, it takes something much to define a person as who they are. There seems to be a disagreement similar to what came first chicken or egg; what came first the egotism or prosperity. Based on what I have researched and discussed, I can say confidently that money isn’t what makes affluent people more snobbish or selfish, but instead their background and raising; their wealth is only an coincidence.
At the core of things, one thing that truly makes up how someone acts and behaves is one’s upbringing and their life growing up in their formative years. Yes, some are born into riches while some are born into destitution, however this does not automatically deem someone selfish. Instead, it’s what morals you are taught and life experiences you go through that decide what you are like. Nicole, a FIDM student at the Los Angeles campus stated “some parents raise children to act a certain way”. Nicole seemed to say this from experience, describing her upbringing as not poor but middle class. However the difference she saw was that while her parent had raised her to be respectful and grateful, she described another middle class friend of hers as “someone who always put herself first, sometimes at the risk of others”. Evident is that class does not define your qualities and attributes. Lexy, a Kansas localite that recently moved into the LA area affirmed this idea explaining, “ you fall into where you are while you are growing up, and it’s the little experiences that you have that make you who you are”. Advice from your parents or a traumatic childhood experience, these sorts of things are what makes up a person and lead to self-interest not the money.
Keep in mind once again; selfish tendencies are not reserved for the fancy and fabulously rich people of the world. It’s a poor attribute that rolls deep with all social classes. No matter where you are in the class system, you will find people that are both grateful and selfish. Lexy, who used to do volunteer work at a soup kitchen added “some people simply just feel entitled…some people are blamers no matter where they stand in the class”. This is true, but it is sometimes easier to blame those that have more for something than those with less. Lexy continued to explain a situation once at the soup kitchen where there were two homeless men; one when given a meal said “I’ll take whatever I can get” versus the other man who boasted saying “I deserve it”. They both needed it equally, however one person always has to be selfish, even if they are homeless. Selfishness plagues people of all kinds, it is not something you are born into, but something you learn from experience.
Quickly touching on the fact, selfishness does not come in a goody bag along with one’s paycheck, but selfishness has proved itself as being a helpful quality in becoming successful. Those that are usually more selfish and keep to themselves prove to often be the ones that make the most money. Amber, a salon artist stated, “Selfish people often succeed more based on their focus on themselves”. This is valid, those that find pleasure in making themselves happy can find reasons for capital success much more pleasing than someone looking to help others. In the world that we live in, to make money you always have to put yourself over everything/everyone else.
Money and selfishness always seem to go hand in hand and it is easy to get them confused at being synonymous when it is anything but that. Those that are selfish act this way based off of what they learned from peers and mentors. This is in the poorest of places and the richest of places. Being selfish is a flawed characteristic to some but can be harnessed to full potential by some to makes their dreams come true. In the end though, selfishness can grow from any social seed but has the potential to flower into ignorance or success.