One of the most toxic ideas I was exposed to as a child was that your worth as a person is your income.
It was said in things like important lawyer/doctor or whatever. They had the big house and expensive things in our small town, and I was not jealous of that just surprised.
I knew them personally and even visited their houses in various ways. Sometimes by being friends with their children, and other times by them asking me to help them with their computer when I was a consultant.
At the same time I grew up with teachers who were some of the most poorly paid in the nation. They were mentors and inspiration to me, and they positively impacted my life far far more than those lawyers and doctors did.
Ok you might argue, your doctor kept you healthy. I was healthy. I had my vaccinations and then I was healthy. That wasn’t the doctor it was genetics.
However those poor teachers opened my mind, and took me under their wing. They treated me as more than a student, but as a kind of friend. They sacrificed their time and energy to help me understand the world, and for that I am forever grateful.
So when people look at celebrities and talk about movie stars, I can’t understand why. They didn’t inspire people like teachers and other workers who are less acknowledged. Growing up I thought it was a crime how teachers were treated and I still feel that way. I wanted to be a teacher at some point because I love sharing what I know. Its part of what motivates me to write here.
As you grow in life you learn that your value as a person is not your income. Everyone has worth even the people on the street and people who are struggling in difficult situations. Life is often a matter of luck as well as character. Character may help us but there is still a certain amount of luck that puts us in a situation in which we can thrive.
If you feel that having more stuff, money or prestige makes you a better person you are wrong. The only thing that makes us a better person is being helpful, kind and of service to others. Narcissism never is satisfying.