Article Analysis: The Fortunate Ones !

The Fortunate Ones is an article about how wealthy Americans think, live, and

how, when and to what degree they make the shift to philanthropic money use. The Boston Colleges centre of Wealth and Philanthropy performed a thorough study on this exact topic. This article presents quotes from personally written submissions by people with at least $25 million in assets. Thus, the point of view of many very rich people is depicted while exploring the areas of knowledge of ethics and human sciences. This article is vastly relevant as it applies, and is intriguing to all people who make and/or have money. The author, Graeme Wood, writes as an unbiased third party with detailed information from the study undergone by Boston College. His thesis is as follows: money may ease some worries, but others always remain. ! Mr. Wood was effective in convincingly demonstrating his point. His evidence

consisted of personal experiences and feelings shared by wealthy people. The fact that the quotes - used as proof - were of actual peoples thoughts, made them substantially more powerful in solidifying points. The reader can relate to the article, and be emotionally engaged. This is because humans relate to other humans, and species are naturally empathetic toward their own kind. It seems as if for every point the author makes, a quote is close by as concrete backing. Mr. Wood makes a touching point about how wealthy people, who have earned their wealth, worry that their childrens upbringing in a rich environment will cause them to be unmotivated, spoiled, and lazy. The parents make attempts at parceling out the inheritance over time yet this does not seem to prevent the concerns from becoming reality. This point about children is

particularly relatable and in effect strong, because, everybody worries about their kids. Even people who have not yet had kids worry about their future kids. Another natural instinct is to deeply care for ones offspring. It, as well as empathy among species are aspects of emotional knowledge that all species bear. Some rich children embody the sloth mentality while the more introspective of the bunch contend with thoughts of never escaping the shadows of their parents. The introspective children also worry of a life without a job and as a result becoming secluded among the masses. One of the most entertaining things to do as a child is to dream of the fantastic things that we will become when we grow up. It is sad to think that some people will neither have the ambition or drive to fulll their dreams, or fulll anything for that matter. Mr. Wood quotes a submission stating that a rich grandfather would say this to his grandson: honey, youre never going to have to work. A depressing quote almost sentencing the child to a non-fullling life. This point resonates strongly with adults - who mostly have jobs - as well as youth who have yet to jump into the world. Adults understand the hardships of work yet they also comprehend the joys, the newfound friends, and the pride that comes with their special job. This would probably be adults with some sort of motivation. The youth are wide-eyed and excited to join the fresh world of opportunity. They understand the tragedy of missing out in one of the most substantial experiences of humans lives. ! Mr. Wood has omitted some important problems dealing with this issue. The

wealthy parents are somewhat to blame for these issues. Good, wealthy parents should not spoil their child from a young age and should teach their child values and skills that they used to get themselves where they are today (sitting on a mountain of wealth). They should pass down the legacy, not simply the cash; teach their kids to sh the

successful way rather than simply gift them with a life-time supply of sh. The parents should instill in the children a higher sense of purpose because of their stature just as Upper Canada College does in their students. If parents need to spend no time working to make money to provide necessities, then they should be able to handle raising their children well enough so that they do not have to worry. ! The article addresses the broader issues of the rich man and the poor man

ideologies. The rich man ideology is explained in the article and throughout this analysis. The poor man ideology is that of envy of the rich man. This is an issue because the poor man needs to understand that he should not simply strive for riches. He should learn that it will never meet his expectations and he will still feel empty afterward. If he believes that he will be happy once he strikes gold then he will never be happy even when he uncovers all the gold in the world. ! I am a well-off young man who attends one of the most prestigious high schools

in Canada; one of my greatest fears is to be rendered useless to the world or to be in a sloth state; I am also a dedicated Christian; I understand my cultural and personal perspective. This article made me stray away from any ideas or aspirations for becoming extremely wealthy. It essentially turned me off the thought of being as rich as the participants in the Boston College study. If I had such money, I would denitely donate lots of it but, also I would try my best to help the world with the power that I bestowed. My eyes were opened to the surprising issues that the rich have and also the bit of envy they have for the less rich. The article achieved its goal splendidly through the relevant and relatable personal experiences it shared as evidence for its thesis.