The Monster Money Creates

Does Money really change people or just reveal who they already are?. My close friend back in school days suddenly became a shadow of himself a few months after he got an appointment with his local government chairman. Was he always caring and friendly before the appointment? Yes. Did he change after the appointment? Yes. Was money the factor that changed him? Yes. I've seen this scenario play out over and over again, people changing when they attain a position of certain influence and only 1% stay true to what they were, not because money had no influence on them but because they probably had mastered self-control.

Every stage in life has a price, this bargain includes both for the rich and poor. Unfortunately the price to remain poor is minimal compared to that of becoming rich. A poor man has all the time in the world with little or no fear of losing anything but the fear increases when he becomes rich. This fear of losing something valuable shapes his thoughts until he becomes a stranger to others. One fear that drives anyone when they become wealthy is becoming poor again, they see most people as a threat and mongers to their wealth, they become too busy trying to maintain that which they have attained and probably buy the ideology of returning to their roots if they become a giver.

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Yes, he was humble and down to earth when he was poor, but wealth taught him one thing "A belief that his money can buy anyone's loyalty or serve as a defense to him". One huge money into our account, suddenly we feel we can buy anything, eat anything, and probably marry anyone, not because the trait was once dormant in us, but because money sold you those ideas. There's a tendency that 99% of people will remain loyal to you once money is involved, remove money and you'll see how they leave, because money has a message it sends to people, a message of freedom and power once one has it.

People are who they are whether with or without money. I have seen arrogant men or women who are poor and I have seen humble people who are rich. But the most, I have seen humble people change influenced by money. People don't hide who they are, but they can be influenced by certain things they have and are around them. Just as friends, religion, environment, and school influence people, so does money influence people. Not only the rich are wicked, jealous, prideful, but also the poor. A rich arrogant man who becomes poor can become humble influenced by poverty, so does a humble poor become proud influenced by wealth.

What makes the difference is people who refuse to allow the luxury they enjoy influence their decisions, people who hold on to empathy, people who are disciplined and self-control, people who do not allow their status buy their true identity.