Does It Even Matter?
It’s funny what you might hear while standing in line at the deli counter at the grocery store. There was a woman, maybe in her mid-forties, waiting to order some cold cuts. She had dark curly hair down to her shoulders, a white crisp dress shirt and some black slacks on. It looked as if she was just coming home from work. She decided to start a conversation with a young woman who was right behind her in line. The girl was probably in her late 20’s, straight blonde corporate looking hair, and was also dressed for the office- but with more of a flare. She had a Gucci handbag and shoes that basically showed her income. She wasn’t doing so bad for herself, so it seemed.
“Ya know, these people work so hard and yet they get such little pay,” the mid-forties woman says to the young girl, “they should at least get decent hours, instead of catering to people after 7pm.” The young girl looks at her, smiles, and nods.
“Well, I’m sure all of their hours are different. I’m just glad they’re here when I get home from work.” The young girl replies.
Logical answer. The woman in her mid-forties goes on…
“Well, they’re certainly not making a 6-figure income in this joint. When I was first getting my foot in the door of the company I’m with now, I started at 90k, and now I make a 6-figure income.”
The young girl gives her an inquisitive look, as though she didn’t know where this conversation was leading into. What was her point? What was she trying to prove? The young girl just smiled and looked the other way as the deli clerk called out, “Next!”
What amazes me are people who insist on telling you their income or how much money they make. They boast about their wealth and their “happy lives”. The people I personally know who do this, are usually the ones who are up to their ears in debt and have failed relationships with other people. They’re too busy trying to impress with what they don’t have. They want respect by letting people know how wealthy they are, when in fact, it can be a complete façade. Even if they do have the wealth to boast about, what's the point? The psychology behind it is low self-esteem of course, but that’s a given. When people feel bad about everything else in their lives, they seek approval by their claim in wealth. Why tell this to a stranger? I can see discussing this type of thing with a close friend or relative, but even so, it's still an awkward subject to get into.
Getting back to the deli section, the woman in her mid-forties orders a pound of bologna, and then pushed her cart down the frozen food aisle. The young girl then ordered premium meats with beautiful side salads, and then headed into the organic section to select her premium quality vegetables with no chemicals, which of course costs a bit more expensive than the average stuff we normally get. She never mentioned one word about her income. She didn’t have to. She probably had a bit more self-confidence---regardless of her income.
The rich and the poor have this in common: The Lord made them both. ~Proverbs 22:2
True humility and fear of the Lord lead to riches, honor, and long life. ~Proverbs 22:4