Professor Joseph L. Mbele
St. Olaf College

Virtually every day, in America, you are told to be a millionaire. Day and night, television peddles the dream that even you can be a millionaire, if only you work hard enough. Alternatively, you can be a millionaire by just winning the lottery. It all sounds like a fairy tale, but millions of people believe it.

Maybe there is something wrong with me, for I have never tried to be a millionaire. Even if I did, I am sure I will never be a millionaire. How sad, you might say. It is not that I don’t need money. I do need money, like everyone else. However, being a millionaire is out of the question.