I became “rich” in my terms, society says it’s not enough
I’m not born with a silver spoon. My family were in poverty. Rental flat, parents struggling and turbulent childhood. We live by the day and in constant survival mode.
But since young, I told myself I wanted to get out of this circle. Did my best in school, got a scholarship and eventually graduated with a decent gov job.
After the bond ended, quit and started an e-commerce service with my business partner. Eventually, we cannot bring the business forward and sold it. We made a pile. I went into a semi-retirement state and got a decent job to “enrich” myself.
I helped my parents and paid off their first BTO. But heart disease robbed me of my Dad so he didn’t enjoy much from my success. That was my greatest regret.
I’m becoming delusional recently. I feel like I’m neither here nor there in this society.
My old friends think I’m “rich” and start to behave differently. They think my money is limitless and suggested silly expensive initiatives (like dubious stocks, forex or cryptocurrencies) to me. When I reject, they think I’m snobbish, arrogant, stingy or out of touch. I missed the good old days when we dun put money in the discussion.
When I attend summits and galas to mingle with the elites, I realised I couldn’t click. They speak their lingo and seem like I’m not in their circle. Maybe they think my net worth or dubious past is not worth their attention.
Then I see all the incentives the government gave; I realised that given my net worth I don’t qualify for most of the relief. Part of me agreed with them but part of me felt unfair, given I was in poverty when I was young and had hoped more was given as “compensation”.
Recently I got into an accident with a motorcyclist. I admit it was partly my fault and offer to compensate him. I was willing to pay based on his demands, but then I got a tip-off that he posted my car pics in a private group and asked for advice from the members “what to claim from this rich merc driver GAO GAO?” I was even more furious when many replied to him on how to keng to claim more leech from me. I screenshot the post and was almost going to engage a lawyer for this case but decided against it as I was original at fault in the accident.
FFS my car is a 2nd hand 2015 A180, even a new Hyundai is now more expensive! And I may be “rich” in your terms, but I don’t print money and don’t use them as toilet paper.
I worked my ass for them, I give up playing, relationships and even some friends for it. I lost sleep, skipped meals, and shower time and got sick and almost died for it. Argue with my business partner and “whore” myself to investors and stakeholders for it. Any start-up entrepreneur will know my pain. Many don’t understand the sacrifice I made for that money. I literally bleed for them. I’m not those ASK who have it all in life without lifting a finger and can ask their dads to sponsor. My dad is dead!
And I donate a large part of them to the organisation that helped my family when I was a boy, as a payback for their help, and don’t get me started on the income tax I have to pay for that payout from the sales of our business.
But people still want to take advantage of me just becos I’m deemed “rich”. This is so twisted and depressing.
Rich people problem? Maybe, but the loneliness of being neither here nor there, and feeling of unjust are real and painful.