what money really means and how to get rich_83

_{The briefcase is placed by the door. The ear on the kneecap becomes a}

_{waist in the arm lifted high. The cheek on the thigh becomes a hand on the}

_{head. These strange body parts enjoined make their way to the kitchen.}

_{It's a nice, neat house. It cost $132,000.That's $7,000 less than the national}

_{average of homes in U.S. metropolitan areas. The typical house is about two}

_{thousand square feet on a lot almost thirteen thousand square feet in size.The}

_{typical house, like this one, is located at least an hour from a major city.}

_{That's why the sedan chosen gets such good gas mileage, thirty-two miles per}

_{gallon.That's why the minivan isn't used for long trips.To the typical American}

_{family, cars are luxury items. So are television sets, computers, and stereo systems.}

_{These are the status items with which to compare neighbors and friends.}

_{In the United States, the typical household looks like this: Its members are}

_{white, Caucasian.The parents are between the ages of thirty-five and fifty-five.}

_{There is one child who is between the ages of ten and fourteen years old.The}

_{family earns between $39,000 and $75,000 per year.They are Christian.}

_{In the world, the typical household looks like this: Its members are Asian.}

_{The parents are also between the ages of thirty-five and fifty-five. There are}

_{five children, all less than fourteen years old. The family earns between $756}

_{and $9,265 per year. Most would also be Christian, but Muslim families are}

_{growing faster.}

_{My Imagination always had the typical household looking like this: Its}

_{members are gray.The parents don't seem to have an age-quality to them.They}

_{could be thirty.They could be fifty. There are two children, a girl and a boy.}

_{They are teenagers.The boy seems to get into a lot of trouble.The girl is naïve.}

_{Money never seems to be an issue. But they stay home an awful lot. Material}

_{items for the family just seem to appear. They don't seem to be religious. If}

_{they are, they never seem to go to worship anyplace. In fact, there is no particularly}

_{controversial quality about them. If controversy arises, it is quickly}

_{overcome in a half-hour or an hour, not counting commercial time. Come to}

_{think of it, when my Imagination conjures the typical American family, a bar}

_{of Zest soap appears. So too do bottles of Coca-Cola."McDonald's is a happy}

_{place" becomes lyrical.}

_{But this is how it really is:}

_{The Nelsons—let's call them the Nelsons—have three children.}

_{Both Laura Nelson and Rick Nelson are blond-haired, blue eyed. Their}

_{children, naturally, have the same coloring. Rick stands about six feet tall, Laura}

_{about five foot four. They're both attractive people.Well mannered and well}

_{dressed. Their children are four, two, and the baby is just a few months old.}

_{Laura Nelson stays home and minds the children while Rick Nelson}

_{goes to work at an office in the city. He is a mid-level executive at a large}

_{which he is allowed to stay home.They're called paid days, whether they are}

_{vacation, personal, or sick days.They're a new twist in the way human resources}

_{departments calculate work hours.}

_{Work, to Rick, is a way to earn money to support his family. He doesn't}

_{see his labor as a mission, as a calling. He sort of stumbled into what he does}

_{for a living.}

_{"After I graduated from college, I worked in retail management," Rick says.}

_{"Then I got hired by another company, then another company, and now I'm}

_here.