The Illusion of Wealth: Unmasking Disguised Deception

Farhana Rakshand

Life is changing at a fast pace, faster than earlier, than what it used to be. Our core and sole focus lie in growing from one level to another, towards a better life, whether it is financially, emotionally, spiritually, physically, or mentally, and so on. The majority of the population focuses primarily on the financial aspect than any other facet of life, which is holistically justified in a materialistic society where everyone believes in the adage “money is power.”

Consequently, through big bungalows, sleek & jazzy cars, and branded clothes, we form an individual’s identity. Education will not necessarily promise you wealth in abundance. The role of education in improving anybody’s financial status is almost negligible. Therefore, education is not the criterion for judging anybody’s social status. A person who is a simple graduate or has completed 10+2 can be a millionaire; likewise, a PhD scholar might have to manage the monthly finances with the meagre money of a scholarship provided by the government. In short, a huge rat race is going on, which decides whether a person is wealth-wise acceptable or not in our society.

All this while, we see people in disguise, with a huge amount of bank balance, all decked up and moving in luxury cars from one eating place to another. We truly cannot assess in which league such people belong. We find cultured people following a middle-class existence, whereas uncouth ones are traveling in business class towards their destination to a foreign world.

The mixture of these classes, where we do not find a sea of rich people with valid virtues or a sense of ethics, determines that money has destroyed moral ethics largely. Nevertheless, this does not mean virtuousness is totally missing in well-to-do families.

Whatever the case, it is a great concern for people who would want to maintain a certain standard while making friends in the given situation. I have several events to relate in this regard. However, one important incident I still remember very vividly, which I really want to share with my readers. One of my relatives once became friends with a person who, besides being a medical representative somewhere in a hospital, was a big businessman. Soon, their friendship transitioned from an acquaintance to a family friend. Slowly and steadily, the businessman gained the trust of his whole family, as he proved to be so believable that everyone started to develop confidence in his ability to keep his word.

Everything shattered into pieces when the two friends bought a piece of land together under a partnership contract. The wicked fellow backstabbed his friend, denied returning the money he owed, and because of his treachery, his friend lost all the money he had treasured all through his life, earned through a government job. This event is a revelation for us to trust anyone but rich people.

This does not imply only the rich are to be blamed for integrity issues; there is no criterion for pinpointing any particular class. However, our school of thought does not hold true anymore. Therefore, a person belonging to a higher caste or a well-off family does not guarantee any authenticity on his part.

We have lost our sense of judgment in the chaotic world where people are masquerading themselves in the veils of hypocrisy and fraud. A stinking rich person and a milkman display a similar display picture on the social networking app, WhatsApp, which highlights the fact that they own a car. Simply, we have to think twice before getting acquainted with someone. Their faces are hidden behind branded clothes, hi-fi phones, etc., and the most important treasure they possess is the expertise of various concepts or products at the tip of their tongues. Do they know how to apply their knowledge to a particular situation? A cheater will always masquerade as a decent and up-to-date person..