Hard Earned Do(ugh)?

This post is from my friend Kin, who has taken objection to me using the term "hard earned money" too much. Note that some parts that he wrote about me are hugely exaggerated for effect and comedy.

Kin Writes:

First of all let me explain why I am writing this article for Thanh’s famous blog. Well it was really inspired by several quotes Mr. Do has placed in some of his articles in regards to this “HARD EARNED MONEY”.

Let’s get one thing straight. I do not dispute or doubt Mr. Do who like the rest of us deserves every penny we make. In our generation, a large chunk of us had the privilege of receiving high education and as such landed us where we are today. However, a lot of time and money was invested prior to that. Late night studying, stress before exams, and that struggle in landing that graduate job after finishing university. Nothing came to us easy back then but now we are enjoying the fruits of our labor.

As most of us are working in a big clean office with abundant resources and freely accessible facilities, should we not spare of a thought for some of the less fortunate who really have to grind it out to put food on the table and rid of those unavoidable bills in their mail. Sure, people like Mr. Do have to work in a high pressured environment where deadlines and project completion are measures of his success. He would be coming in 9 to 5 every weekday pouting around at his desk or at the lab with the frame of mind for work, work, work and receiving that big fat pay slip in the middle of every month. His money was earned fair and square and has every right to spend as he pleases.

But what my beef is, well not really a beef, was Mr. Do’s constant public statements of wasting his “hard earned money” every time he spends it at a crappy restaurant or at the cinemas watching the latest Hollywood flop. Everyone else here would feel gutted too if they feel like they got ripped off or did not get their money’s worth. But let’s face it. Our money is not that HARD to come by. With unemployment in Australia at a 30 year low, and in some industries, there is high demand for talented individuals like Thanh Do whom would be paid handsomely along with other benefits and perks to attract him in spending 40 hours a week of his time in a comfortable white-collared environment.

Now my point and issue really is Mr. Do’s use of the loose term “HARD EARNED”. I would dispute his use of that term because I take into perspective the different circumstances others have or had to experience. What I mean by this is not an issue of the dollar values they take home everyday from work, but on how they had to earn it and the scenario they had to face. The example I will lay out is my mom and dad. The latter is in his late 60s still pushing it in the kitchen which he has been doing a good chunk of his life. His scenario is different now but in the past decades it was almost literally a matter of survival for our family to meet the everyday expenses of food, rent, clothes, transport, education, and health. Mom probably had it worse as she first tasted hard labor at just 10. Again this was not to save up for the new IPOD Video or go on a trip to Tahiti, but a matter of taking care of her own parents and a rather big number of brothers and sisters. Once motherhood arrived much later in the stages of her life, it was continuous work and sacrifice to provide for me and my brothers also. Today the fruits of their labor (and all other parents) are evident in the house we live in (especially Mr.Do’s), the cars we drive and the education we received.

This is just my example of what I believe “HARD EARNED” means due to that fact my parents were and still probably get paid less for grinding it out daily compared to high-flying executives on 6 digit salaries like Thanh Do.

From our perspectives, most of us can say we aren’t and never had it that hard. Though some of us have mortgages or other money dependent issues in our lives, the fact of the matter is, there is just not that level of desperation anymore in our jobs. Australia is a great country where you are not going to starve to death or live outside in the streets just because you don’t work. Though jobs are very important to us it just can’t measure up to where it was for parents and their parents. Taking Mr. Do as an example again, it is known that he is still unmarried and lives at home still. Of course I’m sure he helps around the house with the expenses (NOT!!!!) but the fact of the matter is if he loses his job today, he should have that flexibility and time to seek other earning options like a new job or business ventures like his multimillion dollar corporation which he is now the sole owner. Any disruption in his earnings should not affect his lifestyle in any great deal.

As I stated earlier, I do believe Mr. Do is an honest, diligent and competent member of the workforce. The dollars that roll into his piggy bank are rightfully his. It would just be more fitting and appropriate for him to describe his income in other words such as “deserved”, “precious”, “stolen” or “lucky”. Leave the term “HARD EARNED” out of respect for people like my parents and the many other battlers past and present.

A rich and happy Do

My Reply:

I admit that sometimes I throw the term "hard earned money" around a bit loosely, but I don't think its all entirely untrue. I know that the hardships my parents experienced also are much more than mine and I'm constantly thankful that I live in such a great country full of opportunities. However, I can only judge things from my experience and I think working is hard. Also, I think there is a misconception that if you are doing hard manual labour, your money is "hard earned". Well I have to disagree with that to an extent. Manual labour is one form of "hard earned" money, but so is using one's mind. It is very taxing on the body as well to think all the time.

My manager had commented on this just last week and I couldn't agree more. He said that people underestimate how much work it is to think. I can totally sympathise with this. I know that you get physically tired from a day of heavy lifting, but you will be able to go to bed and fall sound asleep. However, someone who has to think all day will sometimes carry those problems home with them, and those thoughts circulate through your head all night and you can't sleep. I've had this before, where a problem from work will keep going round in my mind all night so that I can't sleep well. It's not as easy as flicking a switch to put those thoughts away.

Therefore, I think I'm entitled to use the term "hard earned" money as the money isn't just rolling in if I do nothing. I also have to fulfil certain demands from my company, some of which isn't exactly easy. They may not be physical things, but its equally hard to come up with new fantastic ideas (I work in the New Technology group of our company) and ways to do things. You go through a lot of stress and head scratching when new things don't work and you have to try and find out why.

I will try to use the term "hard earned money" less as I am guilty of throwing it around sometimes. I will only use it when I really feel that I have been ripped off unfairly.