THE PATHETIC LIFE OF THE RICH
- Madhukar Dama
- May 9
- 6 min read
How wealth creates suffering, escapes, and illusions instead of real happiness
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I. INTRODUCTION: WHEN SUCCESS MEANS NOTHING
We often think rich people are free, powerful, and happy.
But most of them are trapped in anxiety, fake relationships, addictions, and constant fear of losing what they have.
They smile for photos, but they cry in silence.
This article shows how their suffering hides behind luxury.
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II. ESCAPES: THE RICH RUN FROM THEMSELVES
1. Drugs, Alcohol, Pills
Rich people often take sleeping pills, anxiety medicines, alcohol, and sometimes even cocaine or other drugs — not to enjoy, but to forget their stress.
Example: A businessman takes whiskey every night just to fall asleep, even though his room has a luxury mattress and air conditioning.
2. Endless Shopping
They buy things they don’t need, just to feel some pleasure or fill the empty feeling inside.
Example: A rich woman orders expensive clothes every week, but never even opens the packages.
3. Luxury Travel as Escape
They go on foreign trips not to relax, but to avoid their life at home.
Example: A couple goes to Maldives after a fight, not for romance but to avoid talking.
4. Fast Cars, Adventure Sports
They risk their life doing dangerous things just to feel alive for a moment.
Example: A rich man races luxury cars at night because he feels dead inside during the day.
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III. DISTRACTIONS: ALWAYS KEEPING BUSY
5. Work Never Ends
Their schedules are full. They have no time to think, reflect, or rest.
Example: A CEO checks emails during his daughter’s birthday party and misses her entire performance.
6. Entertainment Overload
They keep watching Netflix, using phones, partying — not to enjoy, but to avoid silence.
Example: A teenage boy with rich parents watches reels all day and doesn’t speak to his family for days.
7. Fake Hobbies
They join clubs, do pottery, or art not because they love it, but to show off.
Example: A rich lady buys painting tools worth Rs. 50,000, paints once, and then forgets it.
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IV. THE RICH RAT RACE
8. Competing with Each Other
Rich people are not fighting to survive. They fight to show who has more.
Example: A builder spends 2 crores extra just to make his house look better than his brother’s.
9. Networking Instead of Friendship
They meet people only to get something — not to build real connections.
Example: A man invites 100 people to his party but talks to none of them.
10. Constant Comparison
They feel jealous even after getting success.
Example: A woman cries after seeing another woman’s handbag at a party because it’s more expensive.
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V. FAMILY IS NOT A HOME ANYMORE
11. Marriages Full of Control
Husbands and wives fight silently over money, power, and image.
Example: A husband doesn’t let his wife wear simple clothes to events because it "ruins the family image."
12. Kids Become Projects
Children are pushed into tuitions, foreign schools, and competitions to show family pride.
Example: A boy gets anxiety attacks due to 6 hours of coaching classes daily, but parents still push him.
13. Brothers and Sisters Become Enemies
Rich siblings fight over land, shares, and parents’ will.
Example: Two sisters stop talking after fighting over who gets the bigger flat from their father.
14. Servants Replace Parents
Maids raise the children. Drivers become their best friends.
Example: A 4-year-old girl cries for her nanny, not her mother.
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VI. HEALTH CRISIS IN RICH BODIES
15. Fancy Gym, Sick Body
Rich people look fit but are full of hidden diseases like diabetes, acidity, hormone issues.
Example: A gym freak gets piles and severe back pain from sitting in meetings all day.
16. No Sleep Without Pills
Even with perfect beds, they can't sleep peacefully.
Example: A rich housewife takes sleeping pills every night while her maid sleeps peacefully on the floor.
17. Food Is Poison in Luxury Plates
They eat at 5-star hotels but can’t digest food.
Example: A businessman has acidity every day despite having a personal chef.
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VII. THE POLITICS AND CRIME THEY CREATE
18. They Don’t Vote — They Control Votes
They donate to politicians to get rules changed in their favour.
Example: A mall owner pays an MLA to change parking laws near his property.
19. Their Crimes Are Hidden
Rich people avoid jail easily.
Example: A drunk rich teen kills someone in a car crash — gets bail in one day.
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VIII. FAKE SPIRITUALITY
20. Buy Peace, Don’t Practice It
They go to retreats, do yoga with teachers, but never live simply.
Example: A man posts about silence retreats but shouts at his driver daily.
21. Healing Is Outsourced
They don’t reflect — they go to coaches, therapists, or apps.
Example: A woman pays Rs. 1 lakh for therapy but doesn’t talk honestly with her husband.
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IX. MENTAL HELL
22. Afraid of Silence
Silence scares them. They always need noise.
Example: A rich teen keeps music on even while sleeping.
23. Ego Bigger Than Body
They cannot hear criticism. They surround themselves with fake praise.
Example: A rich uncle cuts ties with his cousin who told him he was wrong.
24. No One to Trust
They don’t know if anyone really loves them.
Example: A woman keeps changing her friend circle every year.
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X. INDIAN CONTEXT
25. Big Weddings, Small Love
Spending crores on weddings, but no joy or warmth.
Example: A bride gets panic attacks during a wedding with 5000 guests.
26. Religion as Status
They go to temples only for VIP darshan.
Example: A man bribes for priority in a temple and forgets the prayer.
27. Women Are Image Objects
Tight clothes, plastic surgeries, Botox — to stay relevant.
Example: A rich mother hides her wrinkles instead of healing her mind.
28. NRI Confusion
Foreign rich Indians feel like strangers everywhere.
Example: A US-based couple returns to India for peace but feels lost in both countries.
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XI. DEATHBED REGRET
29. They Die in Hospitals, Not Homes
Machines beep. No real loved ones around.
Example: A billionaire dies in an ICU with five lawyers and no family beside him.
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XII. REAL FREEDOM: THE ESCAPE PLAN
30. Sell Everything. Start Small.
Get rid of the trap.
Example: A couple sells their 4BHK, buys land, and grows food together.
31. Be Unknown
Live where no one cares about your money.
Example: A rich man moves to a small village and becomes a school teacher.
32. Feel Pain, Not Run from It
Cry honestly. Feel hunger. Make mistakes.
Example: A woman stops therapy and starts writing letters to her parents.
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XIII. WHAT THE RICH ACTUALLY CRAVE
To sit under a tree with no schedule.
To love and be loved freely.
To eat with hands, not cutlery.
To sleep with peace, not pills.
To be remembered, not followed.
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THE PALACE ROTS FROM THE INSIDE
they live in white cubes
with black hearts.
soft beds,
stiff backs,
no dreams.
only pills.
the lights are always on.
but their minds are off.
numb, noisy,
distracted by
bling, Botox,
whiskey and Wi-Fi.
they have drivers
but can’t reach home.
they have spouses
but no hands to hold.
they have kids
but no eye contact.
the man sits in his glass office
with a gold pen,
signing deals
he doesn’t understand
for money
he can’t enjoy
to feed a life
he doesn’t want.
the woman posts
a photo of her salad,
then vomits
in the marble toilet,
her throat burning
with the acid of envy.
they say
they’re booked for the next three months.
but they’ve been busy dying
for years.
they fly to Maldives
and fight on the plane.
they buy Himalayan retreats
but bring their demons with them.
they chant mantras
with dried souls
and return
to yell at servants.
the father hides his baldness
behind a Rs. 4,000 haircut.
the mother hides her sadness
behind gold earrings
and the maid’s nameplate.
the son smokes weed at 14,
scrolls porn at midnight,
cries in the bathroom
but never tells anyone.
because
no one listens.
the daughter has
13 dance medals
and zero joy.
her smile cracked years ago,
but the braces still shine.
they buy 3 homes,
1 villa,
2 farmhouses
but they never sit
under a real tree.
they grow lawns
with chemicals
and say “nature heals.”
they have money in 5 banks,
jewels in 3 lockers,
but they can’t sleep
without drugs.
and can’t wake up
without shame.
their guru charges 2 lakhs
per silence retreat.
they call it “spirituality.”
i call it
the final stage of running.
the grandfather
who built it all
dies in a luxury ICU,
hooked to machines,
while the lawyer asks,
“who gets what?”
the grandmother
has Alzheimer’s
but still remembers
how to say
“don’t trust anyone.”
this is the castle.
this is the cage.
this is what happens
when you worship
status instead of soil,
comfort instead of connection,
escape instead of honesty.
don’t envy them.
don’t copy them.
don’t become them.
because
their photos look beautiful
but their souls
are screaming
inside.
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