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Rich Dad Poor Dad

I used to have a friend who did not come from the most well-off background. After graduation, he made it a point to jump from job to job and with each jump came a significant pay bump. When I hung out with him, his overflowing paycheck was something he would bring up at some point.

"I think including bonuses, I am easily making more than a 100k Singapore Dollars monthly", he would proudly declare. Other than wondering about why was it that he brought it up, this comparison would for that moment make me, who earned about half that, feel poor.

Unfortunately, it was not just him. The progression from student to adult life brought about some unexpected changes in day to day conversations. Instead of sports, girls or travelling, suddenly there was increased discussions about salaries, investments, making one's wealth grow. What one earned was often asked and the answer would almost always end up making some people happier and some sadder. I remember once when a friend would openly mention who in the group was earning the lowest. Even friends who on social media espoused deep religious beliefs could be overheard talking about giving extra tuition to grow their wealth further.

And it was everywhere in the country. The ceaseless pursuit of wealth was on the front pages of national newspapers. "She bought her first condo before graduation". "How he became financially independent by his 30's". What that came across as spam ads on internet websites was a state sponsored hobby.

And so I got somewhat fed up and left.

In Europe, it did no feel as bad. People had actual hobbies. They loved to talk about their travels, their plans for the weekend, just day to day stuff. It was very rarely that matters such as pay came up and when it did, it was often brought up by fellow Asians. This was surprising because in truth the incomes was way lesser and of what was made, the state always taxed about half of it, as opposed to 5-10% taxes in Singapore. Yes there was a welfare system, but even that paid just enough to get by and not to live luxuriously.

When I came back over the holidays, salaries in Singapore had grown drastically over past few years and people were more wealthier off than ever. With new responsibilities looming, I was left wondering if it had been a good decision to leave and miss out on all this extra wealth that could have come in handy in the future.  Should I come back? Should I look for a better paying job? Feelings of dissatisfaction, of having missed out worried me and I started wondering if I was actually poor. 

Though the irony is that I am among the top 5% of the people in the world when it came to income. With 6.2 billion people earning less, I had the least reason to complain about income, but that is the genius of capitalism. To thrive on people's fears and insecurities, to constantly drive the idea that what they have is not enough, to make them spend beyond their means for the sake of show, to fill the emptiness of their materialistic lives through possessions that bring but fleeting happiness, to compare, to envy, to toil and to feel eternally poor.

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