Hello Bumby Here, Welcome back to The Preppy Chronicles.
As A man thinks in his heart so is he.
A very simple statement but extremely powerful. It has been said that money changes who you are. I disagree, after many years, I have come to believe that it is your relationship to money that changes you.
At the tender age of 21, I was well grounded or so I thought, concerning my relationship with money. Little did I know, that what I thought was a solid foundation was only an illusion.
My experiences up to that point, told me that it was my Family name, and the power of the Estate that brought me all that I could ever want. In hindsight, I am here to say that it’s true. But the most powerful lesson that it has taken years to learn is, that Great Wealth Earned or Unearned, wielded by any one without good character turns out to be nothing more than greed.
I am about to break that unwritten, but most powerful rule of my class…Don’t ever talk about money…It’s rude. However, if you must… always talk about other people’s.
Let’s start with the root question… Does a person’s character really matter? Let me first be clear on this point, it’s my heart-felt belief, that money DOES NOT change you.
There is a saying; That if you take a drunk horse thief, and sober them up, what you are left with is a sober horse thief. When you add money to the mix, or for that matter take it away, all that is left is that person’s character. The gain or loss only amplifies it. It has taken me 20 years to understand and appreciate this simple fact of life.
Let me briefly talk about perceptions.
I could be Mother Teresa, but from the moment that I drive up and emerge from a Rolls Royce, you are making judgements about me, my character and my integrity. You are asking yourself, how did he get that car. Now let me take this farther, say I am a Black man, or… an old White man or… a Mexican, lets say a 21-year-old WASP who happens to be dressed Preppy, as we run down the list your perception changes, it’s only human nature.
What happens in the next few moments will cement into your brain if your perceptions and value judgements are valid, or are you going to be confused, because I don’t act the way you think that I should act, the way in which you want me to act, now that is your own perception. Let’s go one more step shall we, class perceptions, if you are poor, middle class or upper middle class and even just rich….Old Money rich or Nouveau Riche all classes have their own perceptions about how the others are to act.
For as long as I can remember, I have always been treated differently even within my Family, by the time that I was 2 years old, my first Passport, was already filled with stamps of destinations from around the globe. ( The new one had to be shown off to all the relatives.) The proper Alma maters had been notified of my birth, That’s where my normal childhood stops. I came to understand that my immediate family, was also very different from the “ normal ” in the “ Family ”. We were the Bohemians of the clan. My parents met each other through music lessons, music became their passion, well at least Dads, Mom took up dance in the late 60′s. Music and dance have always been an important part of my family life. I have been told that my first traveling play-pen was a guitar case. I quickly grew into the mind-set, that yes, I am as special as everyone said that I was. At the age of 6 or 7, I had an emerging knowledge that I would never need to worry about money, and that I was capable of anything that I set my mind to do. I was one of the chosen few. The result of this feeling of entitlement, I sought trouble, while, my sister, was the perfect child.
I just knew, that no matter what I did I would always land on top, NOT because of my Family name and its power, but because of WHO I WAS. This sense of entitlement served me well for many years. When it came time for my first draw, I thought, that the world was mine for the taking and boy did I take.
We will pick is up in the next segment of The Preppy Chronicles.
Thank You
Always Bumby.
The lessons will teach you
What you need to know
To find out who you’ll be
And which way you’ll go. Maria Shriver from the book…Just Who Will You Be?
The Preppy Chronicles edition I Vol.6
I know all to well about the judgements people make. Most of the people I grew up with did what was expected of them and became lawyers, doctors, politicians, and executives. I think my parents may have been a bit dissapointed when I went in a different direction. They always assumed I would just grow out of it, and return to my roots. Don’t even get me started about my inlaws. Ultimately though you have to find your own path and once you do you will learn about the true character of the man in my opinion.
Hello Bumby,
Am interested to see where you will take this, although I have an inckling I know where that might be. Keep up the good work, your readers appreciate it. Reggie
Thank you
Always Bumby
Looking forward to the next instalment, Bumby Scott, Is money required to have a sense of entitlement?
No, money is not required, but for the sense of entitlement that I am talking about, the money must have been there at one time and for a long duration. In my case the money still exists. For a great many Old Families, WASP and non-WASP the reality for them is, that the actual money no longer exists.What they have inherited is the Estate. This being the Estate of the Name and all that goes with it. A good example is the Rockefellers, the money has gone the way of the Dodo, but the Estate is the name and the power that it holds….Thus a sense of entitlement. Hope that helps.
Always Bumby
Thank you, Bumby Scott.
Hey there Bumby Scott. I ran across your blog today and I found it fascinating. I am quite intrigued by this topic and how we subconsciously have preconceived notions about how someone ought to behave. I myself am a well educated African man whose parents migrated to the United States years ago and I happen to enjoy dressing like a gentlemen. It just so happens that I do not quite dress the way most black men do and I sometimes feel as though some people are confused when they see me. In essence, I look forward to reading the conclusion of this blog.
Deji
Deji, Thank you and welcome to The Chronicles.