There was a time, long ago, when men were valued for their intellect and wisdom. Teachers, particularly, were regarded highly, even though most of them were poor. But as the years went by, and educated people increased, they were thought to be unsuccessful because they didn't have money to live a luxurious life. Not any more. Though nowadays some teachers are highly paid, the general perception is that wealthy people are successful, even though they may have acquired too much wealth but are unhealthy and illiterate.
A cousin of mine (who died of diabetes at the age of 69) suddenly became very rich. He bought a large house, expensive cars and started spending a great deal on restaurants and traveling to foreign countries. There were rumors that he had made his money by putting narcotics in his consignments of food stuff being exported to Sri Lanka. He became a highly respected figure in our community (because of his wealth). The mistake he made was in not caring for his health. Both he and his wife developed diabetes, with the wife losing both her legs before dying a horrible death. Before he died, he survived for two years on money borrowed from relatives and friends.
There's another illiterate young relative who's become a billionaire. He's taken to drinking, and he thinks his wealth will make him a leading figure among his relatives. I could tell him that I've seen billionaires becoming paupers overnight, but it won't have any effect on him.
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