If I Were a Rich Person?

    I have been pondering the last day or so, how I would behave if I had amassed a billionaire fortune. Would I really want more?  Would I be dominated by greed?   Would I do ostentatious things? Would I be generously charitable? I would hope that the answer to last question would be a resounding yes!  

    As I read about the billionaire class, I find that overwhelmingly there seems to be competition to see who can amass the the greatest wealth and who can put on the most elaborate display of how they can spend multi millions on pleasures to feed their egos. On top of that they seem to be impervious to developing empathy for the poor and downtrodden where they could be generous to give them a hand up out of their distress.   What am I missing?   It is inconceivable to me that a human being with any kind of moral compass, can't see the need to share the wealth. I think that the billionaire could share at least a tenth of their income with those in need and for good works without making a dent in their desire for an ostentatious life style.

    Now that I have pointed a finger at them, I am reminded when you point your index finger at someone or something, three fingers are pointing back at you.  Greed rears its ugly head wherever you are on the wealth spectrum.  I am reminded that especially as Christians we are to give sacrificially regardless of our station in life.  However, we are flawed human beings so we don't always live up to that ideal.  Today I reviewed the lyrics of the song "If I Were a Rich Man" from Fiddler on The Roof. I had forgotten many of them.  I had thought that in Tevye's dream of being rich he would think of some generous allocation of the wealth he dreamed he would have. However, that is not the case.  His dream of riches centered on how much he would be honored and how much ostentation he could create.  What a bummer to realize that was his desire.  

    I conclude with the desire to shed my disgust with the greed of the one percenters, and to live up to being generous in my own station in life.