There’s no denying that money is important in our society. No matter how someone continues to earn it, that’s what they need to achieve or maintain a lifestyle not they aspire to.

But when you’ve lived around people that will bully you about it in some form or another, you can’t help but get disgusted by the idea of money.

The hold that it has on their ego, often leading to gambling addictions.

Even worse, when you can’t get a new job without someone close asking you how much you’re making each time. They will claim that it’s about making sure you’re working for what you deserve, or even hoping you’re making enough to establish something for yourself.

Truth is, the second part can be right, but asking about their earnings should not be of your concern. Not when you are stuck in a backbreaking cycle of toxicity that makes you believe that it’s the only way to live.

And if you’ve lived that way for a certain amount of time, you know how badly it’s affected you, and how you would want something very different from what you grew up with, and around.

But not everybody will change. Not when it’s at risk of admitting that they have a long list of problems to answer for.

So if you have to hide your earnings, even lie about them, do what you have to so you can protect your peace until you don’t have to anymore. Until you are in a place to say “it’s none of your business, and that you should worry about your own pockets for a change.”

No pun intended.