Health and Wealth: The Relationship Between the Two

I live in a neighborhood with diverse families. I believe that it is a representation of how a perfect community should be because we always accept everyone without discrimination of judgment. Our neighborhood is comprised of the rich, the wealthy, those who seem to be well off and those who seem to be struggling. One family, however, usually stands out for me. I believe the family is significantly wealthy. They have the most prominent house in the neighborhood, and they drive the most affluent cars. I do admit that the family is often the envy of many of us. Nonetheless, one aspect of the family usually seems out of place. Three children are below the age of eighteen, and all the children are overweight. I think that they have reached the point of obesity. Sometimes they find it difficult to walk around the neighborhood, and usually, they will not engage in the neighborhood games other children enjoy. Even when they are outside, one will notice that they have an electronic gadget in their hands that they continually stare at. When considering such a family, one may conclude that being wealthy is a disadvantage for the children’s health. Being obese at such a young age means that they are at risk of developing lifestyle diseases such as obesity which will affect them for the rest of their lives. Therefore, it would be prudent to conclude that wealth does not guarantee a healthy life. 

Being wealthy will lead one into an unhealthy life. It is especially evident at the national level where the United States is the wealthiest nation in the world but remains unhealthy due to widespread unhealthy lifestyle choices such as high calorie diets. Wealth, in many instances, will prevent the adoption of healthy meals and healthy exercise routines. Children from wealthy families will be immersed in technologies that they lack time to engage in fun activities in the outdoors. It means that they miss out on events that would help the exercise, thus placing them at increased risk of lifestyle diseases (Purnell, 2017). Further, being wealthy does not mean that one is exempted from other problems. 

People often believe that wealth solves all problems. Nonetheless, this it may not always be the case as the wealthy have issues they deal with every day. The wealthy often need to ensure they remain wealthy; therefore, most of their time is spent on acquiring more wealth. It means that they will miss out on important life events such as interacting with their children or celebrating small achievements such as their children graduating. It also means that such families do not get to spend enough time together because the parents are often busy amassing more wealth. These parents would give their children all the money they want thinking that it makes the children happy. However it may not always be the case (Mogilner & Norton, 2016). When they eventually feel they have enough, there is usually no time to spend together as the children have probably grown up and moved away. Further, children from such families will often lack the guidance of their parents while growing up. It would mean that they miss out on crucial information they would have acquired from one among the significant role models in their lives, their parents. Being wealthy also means that there is increased discrimination in access to resources for the poor. 

The wealthy may often relate happiness to the amount of wealth one has amassed over time. Mogilner and Norton (2016) identify that once one has acquired his or her basic needs, any wealth that comes after may not make such a difference in the individual’s happiness. It is an indication that wealth may not be equated to happiness as the wealthy may believe making their unending pursuit for it meaningless in determining their levels of happiness. Even so, the negative effects of wealth will not only affect the individual but the community at large. As Sternberg (2018) states “And it's never just one thing that plagues a neighborhood……"They're symptoms of a community problem, rather than separate problems of their own." Nonetheless, the view on health and wealth will be affected by personal beliefs and individual core values. 

I believe that wealth would affect people’s health either negatively. As Clay (2001) identifies that wealth, for some, may mean status-related stressors for the poor. It means that even as some benefit from being wealthy in a community, the poor may be affected socially and psychologically when they compare themselves to the wealthy. For me, true wealth would mean the ability of the wealthy and the poor to access such resources equally. Therefore my pursuit for wealth would be geared in a direction that focuses on equality for all. I also believe that life satisfaction comes from spending time with those close to us. Therefore, I would prefer to have enough time with my family than spend it all looking for material wealth that I would eventually leave behind when I die. 

Wealth does not often mean that one will be healthy. It would be so because being wealthy means that one is at increased risk of lifestyle diseases. The wealthy also experience many other issues that may not be easy for them to deal with, and in such a case, their wealth may not help. Wealth also means the development and advancement of discrimination for the poor. In such a case, the best resources would be limited to the healthy while the poor lack such essential resources such as education and healthcare. 

References 

Clay, R. (2001). Wealth secures health. Retrieved 24 July 2019, from https://www.apa.org/monitor/oct01/wealthhealth 

Mogilner, C., & Norton, M. I. (2016). Time, money, and happiness.  Current Opinion in Psychology ,  10 , 12-16. 

Purnell, J. (2019). What It's Worth: Strong Financial Future. Retrieved 24 July 2019, from http://www.strongfinancialfuture.org/essays/financial-health-is-public-health/ 

Sternberg, S. (2018). A Healthy Return: Advocates investing in troubled communities hope to bring about more than just surface-level change. Retrieved 24 July 2019, from https://www.usnews.com/news/healthiest-communities/articles/2018-05-02/health-and-wealth-is-being-rich-the-only-road-to-well-being