Fast cars, expensive suits, $100,000 gala dinners, and $500 haircuts. No, I am not referring to life in Dubai or any metropolitan city on Earth. I am referring to all these glitzy Hollywood movies and series we are surrounded by on a daily basis. We are fascinated with movies the likes of James Bond, TV shows such as Gossip Girl, Royal Pains, Las Vegas, and various rich celebrities reality shows.
Excessive richness is entertaining. You get glitz, you get wealth, and you get lavishness. At the same time, art that depicts this opulence gets built-in relevance and profundity as it takes a bold stance. Who can resist such a delicious blend of luxury and affluence?
As you waltz in any bookstore you will see hundreds of thousands of books that claim to help you get rich, some actually claim they’ll make you rich in days. So what is all this fascination of getting rich, owning an island and 100 pairs of crocodile shoes? One answer: Media.
It seems everyone wants to get rich in any way they can. Movies push this need further as they portray the rich as crème de la crème of society. Showing that the only difference between the rich and the poor is not that the rich has more vices. The difference is that the rich can indulge in their vices without anything happening to them. They are above and beyond any law.
As I watched and admired the life of a new popular TV show about New York City corporate lawyers appreciating their suits, their tenacity of working long hours and their glitzy life, I realized the show implanted those ideas in my head. Stepping back to see the bigger picture, what I didn’t realize is that all of these rich and snazzy lawyers were working 15 + hours a day, didn’t have a social life or a family outside their work life. They are the definition of an “empty shell”, a body without any substance, in short, robots.
Don’t be what the movies persuade you to be. Don’t be an “empty shell”. Think before you act. How many of you live for work rather than work for a living? How many of you haven’t seen your family for days, months, or years for the sake of working? How many of you left your family or postponed having a family for work?
Find your equilibrium, work for what you love, gain money to spend it with your family. A healthy happy family should come above any work or any riches. Yes, being wealthy can make life easier and can lead to happiness. Then again, who wants to die rich and alone? Money will come and go. We all know that. The most important thing in life will always be the family in your life. Right here, right now.
Sign up to Sail Newsletter
Never miss another article!
Thank you for subscribing.
Something went wrong.
Well said :)
We have indeed fallen preys to our jobs and we've labeled our life's main priority to 'Being successful at work' which is how most people nowadays feel self appreciated more than being appreciated by people and family, which is a good feeling but then this feeling is just temporary and it is only a matter of time when the individual will start feeling guilty for sacrificing other important things in life for the sake of being successful and appreciated at work by his/her managers.
In order to solve this dilemma, as individuals and most importantly as Muslims each day we should be asking ourselves these questions: what would be our priority if we knew that our Life is short? What are all the High priority activities that we should pursue in order to help us reach our general goals in life?
Great article and so very true!
I totally agree. Its absolutely important to work hard and succeed in life, but by no means should success be equated with materialistic achievements! trends, brands and style all come and go by the season, and the impact of being too busy for your life and family can crash you hard in the long run. When its too late!
So be moderate in spending your time and find the balance to living healthy and happy, rather than living Rich.