Hello, my name is Rishi Pattar and I am currently a 19 year old student in college. My parents moved to America from India and made themselves very wealthy from basically nothing. I have an older brother and sister who are also going to be very successful, no doubt. My problem is though, I have no desire for material wealth, a huge reputation, or an elite job. I want to go out and experience things and maybe meet an awesome girl. I know this sounds like your typical teenage “rebel”, but that is what it’s precisely not. I just want to go somewhere, get a decent job, live in a decent apartment, and experience things under my own terms. Has anyone gone through this or have any advice? Thanks for listening. Getting thoughts into the open always helps.
Are you saying you want both the adventure and stability life has to offer? Well, why not? I have very similar ideas. I am 20 and I am planning my retirement in a remote village somewhere.
Rish,
It doesn’t sound to me like you have a problem at all. I think what you are feeling is the best thing possible. The desire for wealth takes away from really living life - and you would spend far too much time climbing those ladders everyone places there for you. A simple life is a happy life, especially when it involves exploring yourself and those you love more than material possessions.
Is it your family that is posing your problem? Do they pressure you and will you feel like a “failure” if you do not aspire to elitism? If so this is a very difficult task indeed, one that I’m sure many of us share. I know I do, though I’m not sure what I will do when I graduate. For me, it’s about being true to myslelf, shrugging off the half-dissapointed/half fake happy looks you get from others when you say you don’t want to be rich and “successful.” Unfortunately it is bad for interacting with those people who do not share those values.
In the end, the job you choose for yourself should be just that: who knows, maybe you will find something “respectable” and enjoyable.
one man’s comfortable is another man’s rich…
-Imp