Ms. Theologian,

I just found out that a coworker is fabulously wealthy. I knew she was rich before, but she’s in the 400 million dollar range. Can you believe that? I don’t even know why she works. This knowledge makes me not take her seriously and actually feel like threatening physical violence. Should I just suck it up? I’d like to be able to deal with her on a civil level, but my civility fails me.

-Not Worth More than 500K

Dear Not Worth –

Ms. Theologian hardly ever advices sucking it up. This is not her style. She could take this further, but she is restraining herself. As such, she advises moderation, restraint, and decorum under adverse circumstances.

Yes, your coworker probably does not need to work for the money. But apparently she gets something from work other than money. So, let her have her have it. She didn’t ask you anyway.

Ms. Theologian grew up in a wealthy community. That is, La Bella Santa Barbara, California. She knew plenty of poor people, but also plenty of rich people, and she was often their babysitter. And here’s what she learned:

a. Never trust the babysitter because she notices everything. Along those lines, please hide the sex books. The babysitter doesn’t know about the lingam and the yoni yet. It’s horrifying!

b. Wealth is somewhat connected to happiness, but not entirely. That is to say that it’s extraordinarily difficult to be happy when you don’t have any food, shelter, or clothing. But when your basic needs are taken care of, it’s a matter of attitude.

So, Not Worth More than 500K, change your attitude. How do you do that? Remind yourself that the most important things are not usually for sale: love, satisfaction, fulfillment, snuggling, hugs, and cooing from babies.

-Ms. Theologian

P.S. If you would like to write to Ms. Theologian, send an email to ms dot theologian at gmail dot com.