Don’t Get Disconnected: Losing Touch with Reality

In a recent visit to Vancouver to see my folks, I learned I had a very old bank account. So I went with my dad to shut it down. Long story short, it was an administrative headache, taking an hour, although I will say they were very nice and polite. I walked out going, “what a pain but whatever” as I got to spend time with my dad and daughter so it was fine. But normally this kind of stuff is so irritating and infuriating. 

I started thinking about the super wealthy and super famous people I knew. All post-economic. When you are so wealthy you don’t need to do the everyday things of getting groceries, waiting in line at post office or bank, sorting out random things at the mall. You have people do that for you. You don’t fly commercial airlines, you fly private so you don’t go through lines. You holiday away from the “poors” and regular people. I totally get it. You want security and you don’t want to waste your time. You don’t do anything you don’t want to. 

Because of this, I’ve also noticed in general, how completely out of touch they were with regular folks and all the hassles regular people have to put up with. Do this for many years and you completely lose sight of the reality of most people. You literally have no idea. No sense. This shows up in the cluelessness and callousness of the things they say on stage or in the media. Or worse, the flashiness of their luxurious lifestyle on social media. Real ragebait for the down slope of the K-shaped economy. 

I recall the public outcry during the pandemic when the Kardashians flew their entire family to a luxury resort island to celebrate a family member's birthday, while all of us were locked down. So many such cases and it’s no wonder people want to eat the rich. There is very little sympathy for the wealthy, even in America despite the large amount of charitable causes they support. 

The point I write here is that it's good to do everyday things and experience hassles every once in a while. It’s good to not isolate yourself, unless you live in a crime ridden hellhole. Interact with everyone, of all socioeconomic stratas. 

And if you do happen to be well off, don’t be flashy, don’t be an a–hole. Tip super well. Live like a normal dude. Be stealth wealth. Why? It’s good not to be a dick and there is such a thing as karma (although it takes a while). No one likes a show off. More practically, the backlash coming against the wealthy in this decade will be ferocious due the AI and finance driven layoffs coming. A backlash specifically for tech and finance bros. So stay quiet, stay smart, stay alert and stay alive. Especially in times of massive change like we are in right now.