How do I get rid of animonsity towards those who are more fortunate?

[Lava58]

I suppose this idea of animosity towards others started when I got out of high school when what seemed like most of my class went on to university under their parents dollar. I, and I’m not the only one, had to go out into the work force making hardly anything, and only after going to a tech school was I able to earn a fair wage. And then on the larger scale there is increasing gap between the rich and poor. All of this negativity might be dragging me down into someone I don’t want to be. How do I overcome this anger? I’m not particularly coveting what others have, although I’m sure it crossed my mind.

And how do I confront other Catholics who seem to think it’s okay to amass absurd amounts of wealth at the expense of paying others low wages and no/pointless benefits?

 

[dixieagle]

It doesn’t sound as if you’re doing too badly, judging from what you posted in your previous thread:

“I’m currently able to do things such as travel, nightlife activities such as plays and concerts, buying books all the time, a nice car, etc primarily because I don’t have to worry about money for a wife/family.”

 

[Lava58]

Right now I’m not having a hard time. But the fact remains that I’ll never go through a university like so many others did or be able to rise out of the proletarian class. This, however, is not my gripe. I guess it seems that I just can’t connect with most people my age, those who are in their early 20s, mainly because of what I mentioned above.

 

[dixieagle]

Right now I’m not having a hard time. But the fact remains that I’ll never go through a university like so many others did or be able to rise out of the proletarian class. This, however, is not my gripe. I guess it seems that I just can’t connect with most people my age, those who are in their early 20s, mainly because of what I mentioned above.

“Proletarian class”??? Baloney! You’re young and have plenty of time to take university classes, one or two at a time, at night, as so many other people have. If you have the desire and ambition, nothing can stop you; it’s the 21st century!

I’ll say a prayer for you. God bless!

 

[brigid12]

There are numerous online degree programs. Sounds like the perfect time for you to go ahead, if you want to, to get that university degree!

 

[CarrieH]

“Proletarian class”??? Baloney! You’re young and have plenty of time to take university classes, one or two at a time, at night, as so many other people have.

That’s right – it took me nine years to finish my nursing degree, and that’s exactly what I did, except that I worked 2nd and 3rd shifts so that I could go to school during the day. When I finished, I was every bit as much of an RN as the ones who went straight through right after high school. Was it easy? No, especially that one summer when I took a full load and had to go to school from 0800 until noon after working all night. But was it do-able? Absolutely. If I can do it, so can you! Of course, travel, night-life, and new cars were out of the question for awhile, but one makes those sacrifices when one has sufficient motivation to do so. If there is a university program you want to go for, pray about it and go for it!

 

[OneAugustKnight]

I suppose this idea of animosity towards others started when I got out of high school when what seemed like most of my class went on to university under their parents dollar. I, and I’m not the only one, had to go out into the work force making hardly anything, and only after going to a tech school was I able to earn a fair wage. And then on the larger scale there is increasing gap between the rich and poor. All of this negativity might be dragging me down into someone I don’t want to be. How do I overcome this anger? I’m not particularly coveting what others have, although I’m sure it crossed my mind.

And how do I confront other Catholics who seem to think it’s okay to amass absurd amounts of wealth at the expense of paying others low wages and no/pointless benefits?

Umm . . . my husband and I went to work right after high school, have no college degrees, not even a 2 year technical degree. I have been out of high school less than 10 years, my husband has had his current job less than 3 years. We do not own a business, he is just an employee for a company and has great benefits.

Our income for this year is more than $100,000 and it’s increasing semi-annually.

He works with people who have no high school diploma and DO have CRIMINAL RECORDS, and DRUG ADDICTIONS. And they make $80,000 a year.

I’m going to college next year, just for fun, not to increase my earning potential.

If you want to make more money or go to a university you need to make a plan for that to happen, but it isn’t that difficult, it happens all the time. Your animosity is a waste of time, people who never have to really struggle for something they really want only skim the surface of life. Paying your own way, for healthcare, school, expensive dinners, a nice big home, is a very deep personal satisfaction, and appears to be more so when you are paying for a wife and children like my husband.

Sorry you can’t relate to anyone your own age, but I can’t help you with that. My husband and I have a hard time relating to anyone less than 20 years older than us.

 

[hasikelee]

I don’t have animosity towards people who can lavishly spend money…I feel sorry for them.

A truly rich man is wise with his money.

If I had millions I still wouldn’t slide through a tier 1 university for four years. Ridiculous!

The private, catholic university in my state is $32k a year to attend, not counting room, board, books, fees, etc. The community college is $80 a credit hour.

Guess what? The teachers at that private university work part time at the community college! Hah! One renowned teacher who works both colleges told the community college students that he loves teaching at that school more than the private one because the students who are there want to be there and want to learn.

Guess what? I can take 90% of my degree at cheapo colleges and then transfer to a really prestigious one. My degree will say “Prestigious college” not “Prestigious college and ****** college.”

I can’t wait til I’m making millions so I can save it and shop at a thrift store!

 

[OneAugustKnight]

I don’t have animosity towards people who can lavishly spend money…I feel sorry for them.

Yeah, that’s another thing. You can always contemplate the spiritual emptiness of the lives of Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, and the women on “The View” and well, there isn’t enough money in the world for me to trade places with one of them.

 

[Lava58]

What I’m getting at is that I’ll never have the college experience that so many seemingly get to have. It wouldn’t be the same if I attended night school for 10 years.

Am I right in thinking the Catholic Church offers the “X” way out of the class system? It would be nice to know if there were books on this subject with a distinct Catholic point of view.

 

[Godlovestrength]

You might like to think of this,
How do you see others in God’s eyes? How do you see yourself in God’s eyes.
If you see others as you call it more fortunately than yourself then how are yous eeing the abilities, gifts,graces that God has given you, lastley how are you using them if you are looking over at others?

What might be happining to the gifts, graces, abilities that God has given you.
You are beautiful in God’s eyes are you going to allow Him to have that right to see you that way?

Godbless
Godlovestrength

 

[hasikelee]

What I’m getting at is that I’ll never have the college experience that so many seemingly get to have. It wouldn’t be the same if I attended night school for 10 years.

Am I right in thinking the Catholic Church offers the “X” way out of the class system? It would be nice to know if there were books on this subject with a distinct Catholic point of view.

Where did you get the idea of “college experience” being so great?

Do you have college students feeding you ideas? Because I can’t count one person in my life of students, private, public, community, or night school who enjoys school. Teachers are rude, liberal, psychotic…everything costs millions (e.g. a $4500 meal plan that only covers 17 meals a week and those are sandwiches at best).

Maybe you should sign up for a semester of “real” college. Take day classes and live in a dorm. Deal with teachers who babysit the highschool grads. Get an F for disagreeing with a socialist idea in history. Develop sinus infections due to the amount of pot being smoked. Get your first bill…average amount being $8K, due in full within one week because the cash office forgot to mail it to you.

Maybe when you get booted because your four roomates (2 of them active lesbians), who are all squeezed into a 300 square foot room with a bathroom two floors down shared with over 200 girls, drink alcohol in the room and blame it on you, you might have different ideas about college.

And remember when you are booted to cut yourself off the internet and electricity or you’ll be like my 25 year old coworker…paying $10k of debt from his past roommates, unable to buy a house or car due to the “surprise of this debt” affecting his score. (E.g. they never told him and the notices were sent to the school who never forwarded them.)

You don’t need America’s idea of “college” to make it to heaven. Heck, without it weighing you down, you might even make it in this world.

 

[Coreopisis]

Right now I’m not having a hard time. But the fact remains that I’ll never go through a university like so many others did or be able to rise out of the proletarian class. This, however, is not my gripe. I guess it seems that I just can’t connect with most people my age, those who are in their early 20s, mainly because of what I mentioned above.

Hey I am a single parent who became a parent at 18, little to no help from the father or family, especially financially. I went and am going to a University almost entirely on student loans. Recently I googled scholarships and grants and there are millions out there.

You can go to a university if you really want to. If you really think you can’t I would guess you are believing the devils lies. Don’t believe that. You can go.

 

[Coreopisis]

Where did you get the idea of “college experience” being so great?

Do you have college students feeding you ideas? Because I can’t count one person in my life of students, private, public, community, or night school who enjoys school. Teachers are rude, liberal, psychotic…everything costs millions (e.g. a $4500 meal plan that only covers 17 meals a week and those are sandwiches at best).

Maybe you should sign up for a semester of “real” college. Take day classes and live in a dorm. Deal with teachers who babysit the highschool grads. Get an F for disagreeing with a socialist idea in history. Develop sinus infections due to the amount of pot being smoked. Get your first bill…average amount being $8K, due in full within one week because the cash office forgot to mail it to you.

Maybe when you get booted because your four roomates (2 of them active lesbians), who are all squeezed into a 300 square foot room with a bathroom two floors down shared with over 200 girls, drink alcohol in the room and blame it on you, you might have different ideas about college.

And remember when you are booted to cut yourself off the internet and electricity or you’ll be like my 25 year old coworker…paying $10k of debt from his past roommates, unable to buy a house or car due to the “surprise of this debt” affecting his score. (E.g. they never told him and the notices were sent to the school who never forwarded them.)

You don’t need America’s idea of “college” to make it to heaven. Heck, without it weighing you down, you might even make it in this world.

What an awesome description! My friends say similar things. It’s so true.

I first went to a community college and then a university. In my university Calc class my professeur litterally yelled at our class and told us she HATED community college transfers. She went on and on about it for about 1/2 hour before over half the class cleared out and went to the Dean. The Dean did nothing.

Good times. NOT!

 

[St_Gabriel]

Give each of them a small gift. If you are really poor, then give them your time, a stick of gum or a helpful hand.

 

[CarrieH]

What I’m getting at is that I’ll never have the college experience that so many seemingly get to have. It wouldn’t be the same if I attended night school for 10 years.

Am I right in thinking the Catholic Church offers the “X” way out of the class system? It would be nice to know if there were books on this subject with a distinct Catholic point of view.

I can’t help you with the class-system issue, but I can only say that God has a plan for your life, and it seems that the standard college experience isn’t part of that plan. Sometimes it’s hard to accept our lot in life when we would have chosen something different, given the chance, but that is not going to change the reality of what is. Having walked that path myself, I have no regrets that I went to work during spring break while others went to Daytona on Daddy’s money – at least I never got drunk on the beach and turned up on “Girls Gone Wild.” Nor do I regret having been in my 30’s before I finished my college education, because I was debt-free when I graduated, and I had so much more life experience along the way, which was more of an “education” than what I got in the classroom. Getting stuck on what you don’t have can blind you to the blessings to be found in what you do have, after all.

 

[milde]

I suppose this idea of animosity towards others started when I got out of high school when what seemed like most of my class went on to university under their parents dollar. I, and I’m not the only one, had to go out into the work force making hardly anything, and only after going to a tech school was I able to earn a fair wage. And then on the larger scale there is increasing gap between the rich and poor. All of this negativity might be dragging me down into someone I don’t want to be. How do I overcome this anger? I’m not particularly coveting what others have, although I’m sure it crossed my mind.

If you live in America then you have tremendous opportunities to work hard, create value for others, and improve your personal financial position. No one gets poor because they are poor or rich because they are rich. Rich and poor come from your choices and actions. Those that realize this tend to be happy and enthusiastic about life.

 

[homewardangel]

No one gets poor because they are poor or rich because they are rich. Rich and poor come from your choices and actions

Oh if only it were as simple as that! I guess Paris Hilton really works hard then doesn’t she? Unfortunately, this has not been my experience at all. And I have done the hard work. I go to church every week, go to confession as often as I can, I go to the adoration chapel 1 day a week, try my best to pray and ask God what I need to do…I am a single parent, I work full time, help the kids with their homework, take care of the house best that I can, run to all of the kids games, concerts, ect… I worked hard doing 2 jobs without expectations, I struggled and sacraficed to go to school at night and I finished finished my bachelor’s degree.

While I’m not angry towards others, I just don’t understand why God gives some so much and others so little. I am truly in a funk, because hard work is supposed to pay off - and I finished my degree but I have not gotten any kind of “pay off” yet. I realize that I haven’t been finished with school that long, but the road was hard and I happily tredged along because I thought it was the right thing to do. I am really going to have to come to terms with this “real life” scenario before too much longer.

I guess it seems that I just can’t connect with most people my age, those who are in their early 20s, mainly because of what I mentioned above.

I understand - while I’m not in my 20s I have this same issue. I chalk this up to the fact that my kids take up so much of my time. But I don’t have an answer.

Terri

 

[milde]

Oh if only it were as simple as that! I guess Paris Hilton really works hard then doesn’t she?

Obviously there are a very, very few who live off mommy and daddy. I didn’t realize those people were significant in your life. They certainly are not significant in mine. But if Paris Hilton is important to you, then yes, she is an exception to that general rule. My advice to you is that you ignore those people. They are extremely few and far between.

 

[milde]

Unfortunately, this has not been my experience at all. And I have done the hard work. I go to church every week, go to confession as often as I can, I go to the adoration chapel 1 day a week, try my best to pray and ask God what I need to do

You can’t pray for money. Maybe you can, but I think that would be incorrect. The hard work I refer to does not involve going to church or confession. Keep in mind it also takes more than hard work. There are many “victims” who insist they work hard but can’t get ahead in life. You absolutely must combine hard work with wise choices.