Money-Madness.doc

Pre-Reading Activities1. Do you believe that “money talks”?2. Many people around us are striving incessantly for money? What symptoms can be found about this money mania?3. Pay close attention to words, phrases, sentences, images, metaphors, idioms, figures of speech etc. in short, the kind of language the writer uses.4. Read the text. As you read, try to guess the meaning of the boldfaced words from the surrounding words and sentences.TEXT Money Madness By Ralph HyattWord count: 1747The persistent popularity of the antiquated joke wherein one person remarks, “money is the root of all evil, and his friend responds,” “I know, Ive been rooting for it all my life” is a testimony to the ambivalences and conflicts generated by money in our society. Dow-Jones averages, tax shelters, investment opportunities, and the like make the front pages of our newspapers, respected magazines, and journals. Get-rich books make the best-seller lists and “sweepstake” mailings bombard us regularly. Casinos, lotteries, the stock marketall government-supported and regulatedtransmit the idea that to own a million dollars is wonderful, a fantastic achievement. Thus, people strive aggressively for the accumulation of wealth in order to reach the promised goals of serenity and happiness. The fantasy of “miracles” which is created by a fat bank account, however, fades in the shadows of disappointments and frustrations once it is obtained. Those who spend a lifetime struggling unsuccessfully for green, silver, and gold usually die in depression and despair. Power, travel, external security, free time, and other blessings are potentially available to the affluent. The blessings, unfortunately, are often mixed.The values of our society and similar ones in matters of money and wealth are perfectly clear. Rich men are seen as capable and wise. Tevya, in “Fiddler on the Roof,” sings it powerfully: “When youre rich they really think you know.” Richness means success, and we are success-oriented. Religious groups and those who elevate the status of poverty as they equate money with evil exhort us to live simply, to walk the straight and narrow, and to deny the flesh. Nevertheless, it takes little perceptual acuity to observe that the wealthy are given high positions in churches and synagogues, are continually feted at religiously supported affairs, and become the models for young churchgoers. Mixed messages are dangerous; psychologists generally agree that they set the stage for schizophrenia.Those who are born into absolute poverty and are destined to live in it typically have an easier time with the money issue. They learn early not to expect wealth and so avoid wasting emotions on such aspirations. They become a motivational in this regard. Some, on the other hand, determine to break out of their fettered status and relentlessly strive for their share of the gold. Generally, they are bright, very ambitious, and follow fellow models of success. They develop skills, become knowledgeable, develop expertise, and work very hard.A few of them make it, but frequently at great expense. Days and nights are spent in creating ideas, implementing plans and working all the shifts. Limited cash flow for rentals, purchase of equipment and inventory, employees salaries, and other expenses test the physical and emotional stamina of even the very strong. A unique idea accompanied by efficiency and good fortune does indeed make the money goal reachable. More often, there is a washout because of physical, emotional, and economic deficits. Many fine business ideas go down the drain in this way. In the meantime, family, friends, and health are flushed down as well.These over determined entrepreneurs give everything they have in the pursuit of their goals and frequently end up truly giving everything. They heave all of their possessions into the hopper and make crushing contributions of self in the battle for material victory. They thrash about in the net society euphemistically terms workaholic, type-A, success-oriented, or excellent provider. In the process, control and power transfers from them to the goal itself. Means and ends are in total disarray. Thinking, acting, and feeling are no longer independent of the money motive. The victims justification for living is money and all it can buy. The self and all of its potential richness is lost.Contrary to expectation, the wealthy are lured into the money net just as readilyperhaps more soas others. The bait is habit, insecurity, competitiveness, power control, and greed. With all the hype for everyone to save even a dollar at a time, it takes great discipline for those with small fixed incomes to pull dollars from a meager salary, to place into a savings account which grows ever so slowly. Reinforcements are weak.The wealthy, on the other hand, have a different “problem”their money accounts grow so steadily and significantly that the habit easily becomes firmly imprinted. Money makes money so that reinforcements are powerful; in fact, it becomes difficult to spend money. What frequently occurs is inconsistent spending patterns. Great expenditures are made for vacations, restaurants, and clothing while there is excessive thriftiness in gas purchases, tipping waiters, bargain-hunting, and other small-saving outlets.For those who are self-employed such as physicians and attorneys, another deep, fascinating dilemma appears. When they are not working, there is no income. A holiday, therefore, becomes a very expensive experience. For example, an attorney with a gross annual income of $100,000, earning $2,000 weekly (and in the 50% tax bracket), is in a position where a vacation becomes too costly. Over and above his regular vacation expenses, he must add an additional $2,000 each week! Many wealthy professionals have not planned a vacation in years. Others do not stray far from their offices and work several heavy days to compensate for time away from their practices. The money net strangles them as they struggle not to lose income.Money conversations of the wealthy are intriguing. A common question among them is: “How much do I need to feel secure?” They are talking about how many millions they require for mental tranquility. This attitude is prominent among those who have made it from a poor childhood. That quality of neurotic reasoning and unbalanced emotions neurotic meaning tremendously exaggerated feelings combined with insatiability insures that there are deep-seated inadequacy feelings. These people seldom get over “what-if” concerns; What-if inflation goes through the roof? etc., etc. They must always have more and more to protect against the possibility of having less and less. Of course, there are never enough safeguards as far as they are concerned.The simple psychological rule for developing inadequacy feelings is that it is engendered by aspirations which are too high. A wealthy man vying with a wealthier man is in an excellent position for self negating emotions; this would not happen, of course, if he competed with a poor person. Compounding insecurity feelings is stiff competition by peersperhaps the goading of younger, successful members who are part of their social environment. “How much did you invest this week in IBM stock?” is not an uncommon competitive question.A braggart who relates his vacation plans, stock market excursions, or the number of recent money seminars he attended consciously and unconsciously grates and manipulates the feelings of a rich determined-inadequate person. More effort and greater income are required by the latter to “show up the big mouth.” One-upmanship is typical. Just knowing that an acquaintances firm has gained one quarter point in the stock market, making for a paper gain of several million dollars, increases the blood pressure of an inadequate-feeling competitor and results in longer workdays of harder work. The “game” is there to be played and to be won. A money-game loss further erodes the esteem of self.Still, no one can deny the power and control (over family and friends, politics, social events) which money buys. Our society lauds money-power, and most weaker souls bend to the advantages of power-by-association. Being unwealthy, the next best method of acquiring money-power is to befriend one who has it. Wine, women and song are in the fantasies of multitudes, recognition and applause in the dreams of most others. Indirectly by association, money makes reaching such goals possible. “Groupies” for the wealthy are commonplace.Even if there were no other reason than the concept of hoarding to explain the accumulation or money, that would be a strong enough motive to explain this magnetic phenomenon. Freudians would probably observe as part of mans psycho-sexual development the powerful anal need to gather more and more greenbacks for their own sake; it pervades our social group. We collect stamps, coins, art, and also money. The glee of feeding an obese bank account and the hyperexcitement of calling the stock broker to hear his monotonous voice tell of profit-makingand the lack of sensitivity in saving a dollar here and there at the expense of othersserve the strong base motive of pure greed.Money, its accumulation, and its effects on life patterns can not be understood meaningfully outside of ones general value system and life-philosophy. Surely, it can be an extremely important variable in ones life, but it need not be. It can be controlled or it may strangle its victim unmercifully. Money in its own right is neither good nor bad. What it is or becomes is purely the result of human choice.There are practical things to do in order to place money in proper perspective. First, list all important values such as the meaning of free time, family, friends, socialization, etc. Do not forget religious beliefs and their basic philosophy about materialism, money, and poverty. Second, place the values in hierarchical order, from the most important value to the least important. If money remains high on the list, go to the third step and determine how much money is the goal. Then, detail in the fourth step what behaviors are required to reach the goal and over what period of time. The fifth plateau requires an assessment of the effects on other significant values of actions to be taken in order to satisfy the money value. Sixth, and last, with all honesty and genuineness, determine if the whole thing is worth it. Try to imagine how it will really feel once the money mission is accomplished. Will there be contentment? A sense of meaningfulness?There is little doubt that money can purchase items for basic survival such as food and shelter. It can certainly buy external securities such as burglar alarms, guards, and police patrols. It purchases beautiful “things,” without doubt. What it can not buyno matter what the accumulation is inner security, self-esteem, and valid human relationships. The probability exists that there is an inverse relationship between those who struggle incessantly for wealth and the strength of psychological fiber. The victorious battle of making money often results in losing the war of finding ones self. In the final analysis, one must often choose between a pattern of sane living or that of money madness.Answer AreaWrite your answer here:1. Guessing the meanings of the new words2. 3.Vocabulary CheckA. Match the bold-faced words on the left with their meanings on the right. Try to do this without a dictionary but look back at the reading if necessary. Write the letters on the lines._ 1. staminaa. inverted_ 2.inverseb. continually_ 3.incessantlyc. the coexistence of opposing feelings_ 4.pervade d. specialized skill_ 5. expertisee. make equal_ 6. plateauf. energy_ 7. strangleg. state_ 8. fetterh. joy_ 9. outleti. restrict the freedom of_ 10. obesej. a means of release_ 11. gleek. produce_ 12. antiquatedl. outdated_ 13. bracketm. category_ 14. intriguingn. be everywhere in_ 15. equateo. suppress_ 16. ambivalencep. publicity_ 17. amotivationalq. lack of motivation_ 18. exhortr. urge by strong advice_ 19. hypes. interesting_ 20. engendert. fatKey1.f 2. a 3. b 4. n 5. d 6. g 7. o 8. i 9. j 10. t 11. h 12. l 13. m 14. s 15. e 16. c 17. q 18. r 19. p 20. kB. Euphemism means substitution of an agreeable or at least non-offensive expression for one whose plainer meaning might be harsh or unpleasant. Can you discover some from the text and list them? Please explain the function of this rhetorical device. Responding to ReadingA. After you read the text again, answer the questions:1. What prompts people to strive aggressively for the accumulation of wealth