One of my favorite lines from Cormac McCarthy's No Country for Old Men, is when someone asks the sheriff how he is and the sheriff replies "I ain't bragging." Have you ever wondered why it's okay to boast about being happy or doing well, but not about other subjects? For example, it would have been perfectly acceptable for the sheriff to have replied, "I'm doing great. My wife and I have never been happier. We have a wonderful relationship. Marrying her was the best thing I ever did."
However, there are some subjects for which it is rude to brag about. For instance, wealth. It would not have been okay for the sheriff to have replied, "Excellent, I've never had so much money. Have you seen a $500 bill," while reaching into his pocket for his billfold.
Why do you suppose it's okay to brag about being happy, but not rich? Is it because everyone is capable of being happy, but not everyone is capable of being wealthy? Isn't it easier to be happy if you're rich?
Is wealth like intelligence? If you have to tell people you're rich, then you must not really be rich? People will just naturally conclude you're rich because you drove up in a new luxury automobile and fly to France regularly by private chartered jet, and live in an enormous house?
To be honest, I don't like people boasting about being happy or their great relationship with whomever. It's too hard for me to relate.
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