We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Stresses of the super rich

Click here to access article by Emily Jane Fox from CNN Money.

This is another contribution to my occasional practice on Saturdays to run articles about our fellow citizens of the One Percent (actually .01 of the 1%, or one out of every 10,000 of us) hoping that by doing this that we don't lose touch with their world and their concerns--you know, to promote understanding. It is important that we become better acquainted so that we can serve them better and make it easier for them to carry out the daily burden of making important decisions, decisions which affect whether we go off to war in foreign lands to kill their enemies, if we have jobs, if we live in a home or under a bridge, if we can afford their health care services, education, etc. 

Unfortunately, for some reason they tend to hide their lives from the rest of us behind walls of secrecy, literal walls of guarded gated communities, private clubs, esoteric publications, by traveling with private jets, etc. We should not let that deter us. 

From CNN we learn that the One Percent have worries too--I'll bet you are surprised. 
Just because you make seven -- or eight -- figures, doesn't mean you live on Easy Street. The rich are just as stressed about money as the rest of us. Here are five things that keep the 1% up at night.
According to Emily they go to bed worrying about the hassles of where to park their yachts and Lear jets. Now, I'm sure those are things that you don't have to contend with. But, that's not all--another major worry of theirs that we don't have is hiring the right help. So, consider yourself lucky!
The ultra wealthy need a lawyer, an accountant, at least one housekeeper, a nanny, a chef, chauffeur, landscaper, decorator, personal assistant, security, and possibly a crew for a yacht or jet. 
And their standards can be high. It's not easy to find a nanny who speaks three languages and knows martial arts, or a body guard with a concealed weapons permit who can travel the world.