Did you hear about the lawyer who was presented with a plumber’s bill? He said to the plumber, “Hey, you’re charging me two hundred dollars an hour. I don’t make that kind of money as a lawyer”. The plumber said, “I didn’t make that kind of money when I was a lawyer either!” – Souce: Anthony de Mello
This story is beautifully simple and sums up the flaws of many societies perfectly. The lawyer was happy because he was a lawyer and felt happy because others respected him for his profession.
The plumber swapped happiness of other people’s respect for happiness with greater material wealth.
The lawyer is upset because his illusion has clashed with reality. Other people’s opinions are just your illusion and you should not rely on them for your happiness.
The illusion the lawyer had was that he was ‘better’ than the plumber because of his profession. This clashed with reality when he saw the bill and realised that in some ways the plumber was ‘better’ than him.