Who does not like a hefty payout being transacted into bank accounts every month? Who does not wish to be gratified by the drive of luxuries? Who does not want mouth-watering cuisines being served on their platter by the chefs who are best in their business? This kind of lifestyle is certainly the one that most of us fantasize about every day. What is the cost of availing the benefits of a king size life? A good education, apt resources, family support, good environment and mentors who can guide us in the best possible direction is certainly all we need. But there is a new ingredient being added to this list and that is the sacrifice of mental health. While it may not be the case with every billionaire we see around us, this issue is being reported on a high scale these days and ultimately is the cause of chronic and fatal diseases like Cancer and Cardiac Arrest. Most of the Film Industry megastars are reporting complications relating to depression, mood disorders and they often reflect suicidal tendencies. A recent study conducted in 2020 by the psychologists of the University of Minnesota concludes that the pandemic has affected the mental health of the affluent people more than the poor people. They have expressed greater levels of dissatisfaction with their lives during the psychological tests that were conducted on them. This is certainly a red flag for all those who tend to ignore mental health issues or simply label it as a hype created by the younger generation. Bad Mental health is not a tool to avoid the struggle of life; it is itself a much greater struggle for all those going through it. But does this mean that we should stop aiming for a comfortable life and good careers? That sounds like cutting all the trees in order to avoid addressing the issue of deforestation. The real slip is not aiming for a rich life but the failure to strike a balance.
The ones who have basic Psychological knowledge will certainly be aware of a model known as ‘Maslow’s hierarchy of needs’. For those who do not know, it is a model which concludes that the overall well-being of an individual comes when they finally get satisfied with everything they have. It does not mean that one should not work on making their circumstances better. It means making circumstances better without taking mental pressure. Maximum of the Super Rich are never satisfied and are always in the run for the competition. High Acceleration results in fatal accidents. There is a need to learn the art of growing along with taking short breaks and giving oneself the time to reconsider various decisions. Money makes life so intricate and complex that a person stops focussing on the simpler pleasures of life. Dining with family, watching cricket in the living room with children and a very casual yet romantic walk with one’s partner are very few among the long lists of uncomplicated pleasures that one can indulge in to ease the pressure on grey matter. Expert advice is considered a great piece of advice but under some conditions the best advice comes from Self- Introspection. A super rich billionaire’s management team may suggest to him hundreds of best possible ways of increasing the net-worth, even by wrong means. It is important to give a tap on the back of the human that lies inside in order to avoid future chances of getting diagnosed with poor mental health. One stigma that we all suffer with is ‘WHAT WILL PEOPLE SAY’. It is easier to hear people saying one person goes from low to high, but it becomes very hard when people talk when one goes from high to low. The more famous, influential, skilled and rich someone is, the more he/she is known to the masses. In order to maintain that status, one does a lot of stuff that ends up giving discomfort, false pride and fake ambition. A person must learn to put a step back from anything that defies the conscious. We cannot measure water in centimetres. It is the tendency of the people with money to measure literally everything: happiness, relationships, comfort and pleasure in terms of money. This can not only be dangerous for one’s own mind but also those who revolve around them.
Being rich or poor is secondary. What is primary to us is that we all are human beings. The sky of opportunities is limitless but there is a certain limit of stress that our body and mind can comfortably endure. Although the hunger to achieve the twin goals of Wealth and Fame cannot be entirely deemed wrong, in the end what matters is how happy we are in the end. Life is a precious present straight from heaven, sacrificing its true essence for some materialistic goals is certainly not a good road to be taken.
By Simranjit Kaur
