I was wondering why we have made a celebrity out of Bill Gates (his impending divorce being somehow deserving of headlines across the media board) because he has accumulated so much money that once belonged to all of us.
No, this is not a Socialism endorsement at all, but more like an observation about human behavior. I think it has something to do with the fact that all televangelists and most financial advisors wear more gold and jewelry during a single day than I have in total, or why defeated ex-president Trump's one-time success seemed to be so connected to the public perception of his wealth and power. (Something about which he was all too aware, and which he carefully cultivated.)
We do seem to worship wealth. My question is not why would a couple split after 27 years, but how could you stand to be married to the same person that long? Seems like a lot of older couples are splitting up, now that women are more able to financially support themselves and don't necessarily want to be caregivers until they die. I remember when Kylie Kardashian got on the billionaire's list at age 22... and for what? Selling lip gloss over Instagram? It's crazy!
ReplyDeleteInteresting questions. I was married for 32 years and I don't understand exactly how that works. I think in a way people must regard their marriage as part of their personal evolution and not merely as a thing that they are doing, making it seem more important and permanent than perhaps it deserves.
ReplyDeleteWe are such an affluent society, maybe the economic necessity is no longer as strong a force to keep people in a marriage arrangement.
I guess that was harsh. Twenty-plus years with the right person would be a joy, but even a day with the wrong one is horrible. I was never lucky enough to meet my person, but that's OK ~ I quit basing my happiness on that. It was a struggle!
ReplyDeleteNo, not harsh. Anyway, happiness is just this weird thing, like a cat's tail. How does that story go? You can chase it, but when you finally let it go, and give up, you realize it automatically follows you around.
ReplyDeleteI was going to say something profound. It's just a crap shoot, I think.
I find celebrity culture weird and annoying anyway. Like I'm not sure why I would care that Bill and Melinda Gates, or Jeff Bezos and Mackenzie Scott split, or why I would care about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle or any Kardashian family member (except perhaps the ones running for office). But most of the time, I'm just like, I don't know any of these people.
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