Rich vs. Poor

? A man’s economic status is based solely on his wealth and his material possessions, or lack thereof to define him as being â€Å"rich† or â€Å"poor. † Similarly, these two words, â€Å"rich† or â€Å"poor,† should also describe a man’s character. Rich is characterized as having a lot of money or possessions: valuable, meaningful, or significant. Poor is characterized as deficient in amount or indicating poverty. Yet, when we look at a man or woman, do we judge them by their wealth or by the â€Å"richness† or â€Å"poorness† in their character? Through observations of the rich, a man or woman who has obtained richness often times are lacking in character traits that makes up a good man or women. For example, Donald Trump as a billionaire is shrewd in making money and his personality is one of hostility. We all are familiar with his famous two words,† You’re fired! † Donald Trump, although rich as a child, n ever grasps the fundamental character traits of kindness, gentleness and peace. We can come to this conclusion based on the number of times he was married.This shows the lack of character Donald Trump has because a marriage should be a long term commitment, and it was easy for him to give up on many of his marriages for the next pretty woman who came by in his life. I believe that most people, like Donald Trump, who are rich in material possessions, typically are â€Å"poor† in character. They tend to be very aggressive toward others, not taking into consideration the feelings of others. Most rich people remind me of Ebenezer Scrooge, an unpopular, grumpy, elderly British male human. He was a banker and a usurious moneylender.He worked at a counting house. He was disgusted by the poor and praised workhouses. And he hated Christmas! The point here is, during the night before Christmas, Scrooge was visited by four spirits, who showed him that he hadn't always been so miserable, that he should love Christmas, and that his actions have massive consequences, and if he didn't change his ways, it would be all the worse for him! Many rich people carry a similar attitude of superiority and that there is no need to demonstrate acts of kindness to anyone that is financially below them. Consequently, a man who is â€Å"poor† in material possessions many times is â€Å"rich† in character, which is spiritually defined as the nine fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. Having friends and family members who grew up poor and who worked hard to survive to obtain material possessions, their character was strengthened or made â€Å"rich† as a result of it. They had to do the jobs that many rich people would never do, such as being a maid, construction worker, janitor and many more domestic type jobs.Although they differ in terms of definition, being â€Å"rich† and being â€Å" poor† in character can be one of the same as â€Å"poor† in spirit or humble. For example, my great grandmother was an Indian who was very poor, but you never would have known it because she was humble, kind, loving and a peaceful woman who always shared everything she had. ? Without a doubt, those who are â€Å"rich† and those that are â€Å"poor,† in terms of material possession, share a similarity: the desire to be rich or richer. No one really wants to be â€Å"poor. Those who are rich are rich through inheritance or have mastered the know-how to become rich. Such as Prince Williams, who obtained his wealth from his mother and father, Princess Diana and Prince Charles of Whales. Those who are poor have lived in poverty, for the most part, all of their lives. Many of them have not mastered the know-how to obtain riches. This is evident from looking at the statistics in the inner cities and in very rural areas. Regardless of their economic status, howev er, one desires to be rich and the other desires to be richer.The poor would like to live a stress free lifestyle without worrying if there will be food on the table, and the rich want to obtain their fortunes as well as continuing to have their success grow. ?In terms of how the rich communicate with others, the rich typically show confidence and are normally very secured individuals. The rich communication skills have embellished their ability to obtain wealth and to succeed at many other aspects in their life. The Rich, like Donald Trump have many people looking up to them. So it’s almost a responsibility to show no fear and to take charge in everything they do.If Donald Trump were to show lack of Confidence many people would not respect him or believe he had the skills to succeed as a multi billionaire. ?On the other hand, in terms of how the poor communicate with others they generally lack confidence and many times they are very insecure. The poor’s communication skills are generally slang, bad grammar, or rap which decreases their ability to communicate effectively. My cousin Brittney, who grew up in North Philadelphia, was surrounded in bad neighborhoods, run down schools, and no one to look up to.When her mother finally decided to get her out of the area it was very difficult for my cousin to adapt to a better lifestyle. Brittney was use to the ghetto lifestyle that she thought it was the norm. When Brittney’s mother enrolled her into a public school in Fairfax it was a challenging scene for Brittney. She didn’t know how to interact with the other children because her dialect was nothing like theirs and she was not secure with who she was. Therefore she lost all hope and confidence.There are several ways to work on ones confidence but they have to be willing to work on them. ?Being â€Å"rich† or being â€Å"poor,† as Webster Dictionary defines it, does not determine a man’s richness or poorness in his o r her character but defines it as his economic status. Therefore, regardless of your material possessions, we should all strive to achieve the nine fruits of the spirit. Then we can honestly say that we are rich and/or poor. It’s up to us to follow acts of kindness, whether we are â€Å"rich† or â€Å"poor,† if we want to achieve a better quality of life.