Epiphany #3: Social "Class"

Oscar Wilde once said, "There is only one class in the community that thinks more about money than the rich, and that is the poor. The poor can think of nothing else." This simple truth is seen in many American communities today. Families that live in high social standing have money in excess, while the middle class has the need to save and the lower class has necessity to scrimp. Society is defined by monetary income. 

Social classes are made up of families. In the Upper class, you have to have a strict and untainted pedigree to be accepted as a member. In the lower class, families tend to be larger, not as intertwined, and in some cases, rather uncivilized. It's easy to see the poor as people who don't have manners, and the rich as a population of jerks. However we know that these stereotypes aren't true. So there is a different meaning that I attach with social class, and it has nothing to do with money.

 I have been taught and I believe that being "high-class" has everything to do with how you act and who you are. I believe that you can have a successful family no matter which tax bracket you are in. If the focus is on money within ANY family relationship, it is at risk of great unhappiness. When one is obsessed with their paycheck, this extreme (yet all too common) lifestyle can severely interfere with family time. Whether a family has no food in their cupboards, or money dripping out of their pocket books, an obsession with obtaining money is stressful and never complete.Simply put, you cannot focus on anything else. You have no time to talk with your kids, and you definitely can't afford to take a moment to laugh. It's work work work, all the time! This is stressful to all family members.It decreases happiness, and like the addiction it is, never fills the hole left in any individual's heart. Before you know it, we've all ended up in the world which we live.

My suggestion is to put our perspectives back in balance. We as a nation need to stop worrying about social class, and start being classy. Success is really based on high morals and standards, instead of the lack thereof. We need to go back to the basics, start over, and focus on the relationships that supposedly matter to us more than anything else. If you notice the quote that sits below the title of this blog, you'll find these words of a very wise man. "MOMENTS are molecules that make up eternity," not money, prestige, or square footage on your home. You see, money does not have to define who we are. I believe that we let it define us because we have nothing else to lean on.