HALF A MILLIONAIRE

I like to observe and analyze people’s behavior. Every morning, as I drive to work, I notice that many motorists are very impatient. For example, when I drive, I try to stay in the slowest lane as much as possible because I always give myself extra commuting time, so I rarely have to hurry. I accelerate to get away from potential danger and then return to my comfort speed after I have found a safe spot on the road. I create a safe zone for myself by leaving a five-car distance between the car directly in front of me and mine, and I always stay away from the blind spot of the car on my left. However, in life, one can never make everyone happy. Sometimes, the driver directly behind me gets angry because he thinks that leaving a five-car distance is a waste of space. Therefore, to save space, this impatient driver will switch to the left lane and then cut in front of me. However, he has to break when he realizes that the speed of the car in front of him is the same as my speed. He becomes more angry and perhaps a little embarrassed for his stupidity, so he cuts left again and tries to get away, but he then finds out that there is no where to go because it is rush-hour traffic. In lieu of slowing down and accepting his fate, he relentlessly tries to push the traffic by cutting left and right. I know that he is not traveling much faster than I am because several minutes later I see his car again. I see this behavior everyday while I drive to work. Sometimes, I wish that I can tell these impatient motorists that when two cars travel at the same speed, the distance between them is irrelevant, and therefore, it is not a waste of space, because I just want them to be safe. However, I realize that I do not have the power to control their action. The only thing that I can do is to focus on protecting myself.

At the moment, America is going through a rough time. The poor complain about the rich taking all the money, so they elect Obama to fight for them. As a member of the working class, I disagree with the mentality, and I will tell you why. I am fully aware of the fact that unequal distribution of wealth does exist in America. However, I do not want to rely on the government to redistribute the wealth because I want to become a member of the rich on my own terms. And, it is not about money because I really don’t spend much money. It is a competition for me. The millionaires are smart, hard-working and mentally tough. If they can do it, then I believe that I can. And, I am trying. It is challenging. It is fun for me.

I came to America without money, and I did not speak English. However, I am able to get myself out of poverty in two decades. And, I am not self-praising. I just want to show that America already has many social programs that can help people succeed. We do not need more social programs at this very moment because it is a waste of money. We need to produce new products so that we can sell to others. Social service jobs are not real jobs. I am aware that we need social workers, but the economy does not grow when we add more social service jobs. Actually, it will collapse if we all sit around and provide social service to each other because we eventually will run out of money. I am a commoner. I am not an economist. I am not a politician. I am not trying to save the world. I just want to point out to the poor that the government does not have the capability to free you from poverty. It must be “you”. How much do you want it?

I have been working hard to save myself, but now I know that the government will take away my money to help the less fortunate. Again, I want to emphasize that I do not have problems with social programs to help others. I am willing to support the system that has given me opportunities to succeed. However, I want to draw a line because enough is enough. I am still young, but through struggling I have learned that if a person does not “want” to succeed, no one can help him. Sometimes, we just have to let him fall, and hopefully he will learn from it. Why are we concentrating on strengthening the weak and weakening the strong at this very moment? When the strong fall, the nation falls. This was one of the reasons why communism collapsed. I grew up in a communist system, so I know it. Everyone works and shares everything. ”In theory”, communism is the best system, but it does not work in reality because the nature of man is to compete and to improve himself. For example, I work for ten hours and bring back ten apples to the tribe while the others work for four hours and each brings back two apples. After awhile, I will question the system. This example is to show that communism and socialism do not work because these systems promote laziness and self-entitlement. They will fall because they will run out of money. The strong will be weakened to a point that they will not be able to carry the weak. I am aware that capitalism is merciless. If one is weak, one cannot survive. Therefore, I am proposing a compassionate capitalistic system. Financially and economically, one must save oneself first, and when he is strong, he will help others. If one realizes that one is not a good player in the system, then one needs to find ways to improve one’s game. Don’t give the government the power to dictate the outcome of the game. And, do not hate the other players for being good at it. If one cannot compete in the system, or the current game, then move to another country where the game is easier and less competitive. For example, if a player cannot compete in the major league, he or she will be sent to the minor league. If a player performs well in the minor league, he or she will be picked to play in the major league. Of course, in the major league, a player makes more money. Again, I am not an economist, a politician, or an anthropologist. I am just a commoner who has the desire to show other Americans how to play the game. And, I do know that I do not have the power to change your driving behavior because only you can change your own behavior. However, I want to give it a try because I don’t want to see you making a mistake and all of us will die in a car crash. And, I am fully aware of the fact that you and I have the same destiny–death. However, as long as I live, I will play the game well without complaining and never give up because I have a lot of patience.

The New York Yankees are champions, again. They have done it twenty seven times. However, it amazes me when I realize that most of my friends at work and many others hate the Yankees. And, when I ask them for the reason why they harbor so much hatred for the baseball club, I receive the most absurd answer–”because they have so much money and win all the times”. I do recognize that there is some truth in the answer. However, I do not believe that money is the only factor that helps them win “all the times”. There must be something special about the organization. Personally, I believe that the Yankees’ constant success is the byproduct of effective management and leadership. And, therefore, instead of hating the winners, we all must love them, study them and become like them. So, why don’t people like the Yankees?

I would like to share a personal story before I attempt to answer the above question. I grew up in a communist country where I was taught to hate the United States of America because it was an evil empire that only wanted to conquer and destroy its neighbors. However, the truth was that my home country was poor because the communist leaders were corrupt and uneducated. They did not care for the people. They just wanted to fill up their pockets with the people’s sweat and blood. When I came to America, I began to see the light. After I had learned more about the game, I understood why the U.S. was the winning team. Capitalism, freedom to compete, encourages creativity because each individual wants to win and harvest the fruit of his labor. On the other hand, communism is just a stupid idea because it suggests that everyone works and shares the fruit. In the beginning, the communist comrades work and share. However, after awhile, they start to question the system because they see that there are many who do not work as hard but still enjoy the same fruit. Therefore, eventually, everyone will stop and the system breaks down. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, I was so happy because it proved to me that I had understood the game. The sad thing is that communism is still ruling my home country because the communist comrades still refuse to change. They are holding on to their power because they still have empty pockets which they plan to fill up with the people’s bones and skulls.

Sometimes, we see others succeed, but we still stubbornly refuse to accept the fact that they are better than us because we know that we are weaker and afraid that we can never become like them even if we try. Many of us hate the Yankees because we know that our favorite team can never become like the New York Yankees. Perhaps, some of us want to defect and become Yankee fans, but we are afraid that others will label us as “traitors”. Therefore, we force ourselves to like our losing team by lying to ourselves–”it is ok because I am a true fan”. We choose to enjoy the pain and humiliation of defeat every year while the Yankees fans are celebrating.

For those who hate the U.S., please look at your own government. Are the leaders of your country corrupt? Perhaps, they are the evil individuals who take away your food and shelter. If you still hate the U.S., please study harder or become smarter to help your country compete with us. If you still hate the U.S. and do not know what to do, I would like to suggest that, first, you learn from us and then you use that knowledge to beat us. If you are still stubborn and refusing to understand, I would like to offer this simple analogy: Imagine that you are running a marathon and the U.S. is the leader. You must gather your strength and courage to beat the U.S. because you know in your heart that the U.S. will not slow down to let you win. The U.S. will always go after the gold medal even though it has won it many times. It competes because it constantly wants to advance human civilization.