Published via Ecency

Money Changes People..., I used to hear that statement and think it was just something people said when they became jealous of someone who had started doing better.

But sometimes, you actually see it happen right in front of you.

I remember one of my uncles who became a Local Government Chairman in my local government. Before he got that position, he was a very sociable person, he could sit with almost anybody.

He laughed freely, chatted with people around him, and was comfortable being among everyone. If members of the extended family were gathered somewhere, he could sit with them. If friends were around, he joined the conversation without acting as though he was different from anyone else. He was simply approachable.

But things became different after he became the L.G.A. Chairman. It was almost as if the position came with a different personality.

He became much more distant from the people around him. The man who once laughed and chatted with almost everyone hardly talked to some of them anymore. Even when he wasn't busy, he could be around people without actually sitting with them or joining their conversations.

He also began to disassociate himself from some of his extended family members and old friends. At first, I found it difficult to understand, these were the same people he used to sit with before he became chairman. The same people he could joke with and spend time around. Nothing about those people had really changed.

But his position had changed.

And somehow, the way he saw the people around him seemed to change along with it.

That experience made the saying “money changes people” feel less like a saying and more like something I had witnessed myself.

Sometimes, I think it isn't even the money alone that changes people. It can be the position, the influence, the recognition, and the kind of treatment they start receiving after they become successful.

People begin to treat you differently.

They call you differently.

They approach you differently.

They may even behave differently around you because of the position you now occupy.

And after experiencing that kind of treatment for a while, perhaps it becomes easy to start seeing yourself differently too.

A person who once sat comfortably among everyone may suddenly start feeling that they have outgrown those surroundings.

A person who once laughed with everyone may begin choosing who deserves their attention.

A person who once maintained close relationships with friends and family may suddenly become selective about the people they associate with.

That is the part about money and status that I find interesting.

The money may change your surroundings, but sometimes it also changes your relationships. People who were once close may suddenly become strangers.

Conversations that used to happen naturally may disappear, and someone who used to be available to everyone may become difficult to reach.

And sometimes, nobody even knows exactly when the change happened. It just happens gradually.

One day, you realize that the person who used to sit beside you now has people around them who make it difficult for ordinary friends and family members to get close.

I don't think every person who becomes wealthy or powerful behaves this way. Some people remain exactly the same, while others become even more open and generous.

But there are also people whose personalities seem to shift once they acquire money or status.

And perhaps that's why the saying has survived for so long.

Because people have seen it happen.

I've seen it happen too.

In my uncle's case, the biggest change wasn't simply that he became a chairman.

It was the distance that appeared between him and the people he used to be close to.

The laughter became less frequent.

The conversations became fewer.

The sitting together stopped.

The extended family became more distant.

And the man who once seemed comfortable around everyone suddenly seemed to belong to a completely different circle.

Maybe that is one of the strangest things about money and power.