How to be poor by Mikes George

Author:Mikes, George [Mikes, George]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Smoked Salmon

It is, of course, easier to be a rich miser than a madly extravagant poor person. But difficulties can always be overcome.

It seems to be incontrovertible that to be extravagant you need money. True. But you do not need your own money. An important school of thinking on the art of poverty holds that it is wise to avoid the psychological deformities caused by possessing too much money, yet it is equally wise to enjoy the money of others. Their aim is not to be millionaires but to live like millionaires.

In my own experience most millionaires are overworked, anxious people under constant pressure to preserve their money and to keep up appearances. In addition to which, as Logan Pearsall so rightly remarked: “It is the wretchedness of being rich that you have to live with rich people.” But it is less wretched for the poor to live with rich people and enjoy all the benefits of their friends’ fortunes. Indeed, poor people in that position are carefree and happy; they live a long time and are very good company. And this leads to the second mikes law of economics: Only a poor man can live like a millionaire.

It is not so much the rich, as the money-maniacs — rich and poor — who poison the air. They have invented a set of rules for themselves: i. You must surround yourself with people in the news, with people who are talked about. It is good to be seen with TV personalities however empty-headed, with giggling actors who have gained a little notoriety in idiotic radio-parlour games, with boxers and with jockeys ( but not with football players). Scientists and Thinkers, on the other hand — or any other kind of eminent person who does not figure in the gossip columns — are of no interest whatsoever. 2. Authors should be classified according to the number of books they sell. The author of best selling rubbish is good, the author of brilliant books revered by intellectuals... well, who knows about them, in any case? 3. Money is the only value: money is measurable, nothing else is.

These attitudes have two results.

1. Rich people can afford much less than the poor.

A poor person may live at any pleasant place he chooses: the rich must have a “good address”. A basement hole in Mayfair is to be preferred to a charming house even in “up-coming” Barnes. I am a proud and conceited poor and am convinced that wherever I live is a good address. Good enough for me. Some of the rich fail to realise that any address becomes lousy as soon as it becomes their address.

My favourite restaurant is a Czech place in Hampstead, run by a genius of a cook who has the magic touch. The decor is not outstanding, there is not one original Picasso or one crystal chandelier to be seen, and one can be fairly sure from the look of the place that food is more important to Mrs H than fresh paint.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.