You can just sense it in people’s behavior, actions, and words.
Over the last 3 years, I’ve spent a lot of time in the south of Spain, around Marbella. You can just smell the desperation in the air. Everyone wants to look rich. Luxury cars, designer clothes, Instagram-perfect lives. It’s all about appearances.
But it’s not only in places like Marbella. Even in my hometown of Leeuwarden, a place that’s never been rich or glamorous, I’m noticing the same trends.
Leeuwarden is a simple working-class city. But lately, you see more expensive cars on the streets. Men obsess over Swiss watches and go to the barber every two weeks. Women carry designer bags and get Botox or fillers at the countless clinics that are popping up all over town.
It’s as if having money (or appearing rich) has become the ultimate benchmark for self-worth.
Look at the internet. Whether it’s Twitter, Substack, Medium, or YouTube, most content revolves around money. “How to become rich,” “Passive income secrets,” “Millionaire mindset.” We’re all desperately chasing wealth.
But wealth alone isn’t enough anymore. We also crave fame. We take pictures all the time—posing, sharing, posting—as if our lives are part of some grand movie. We hope for likes, follows, and validation. Fame and money are intertwined desires that fuel off each other.
Yet, these cravings for money and fame are nothing new. Nearly 2,000 years ago, Seneca warned us about the emptiness of these pursuits: “It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor.”
If we constantly desire more, we can never truly be satisfied. It doesn’t matter if you drive a Ferrari or carry a Hermes bag. If your happiness depends on external validation or material wealth, you’ll always feel empty inside.
Seneca also said that, “If you live according to nature, you will never be poor; if you live according to opinion, you will never be rich.”
The real question we should ask ourselves is this: Why do we allow others to dictate what makes us feel worthy? When we live to impress others, we surrender our inner peace. We’re forever poor because we never have enough of what we don’t truly need.
Try a different path. Embrace simplicity. Measure yourself by your own standards, not by the opinions of others. Real wealth isn’t displayed; it’s felt within. It’s freedom, calmness, health, and genuine connections with people you care about.
Remember this next time you’re tempted by the illusion of wealth and fame. You really don’t need more stuff to be happy. You don’t need more followers or likes to feel important.
Your real life isn’t a movie. And thank goodness for that!
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