Have you ever been sitting idly, scrolling through your phone, and suddenly thought to yourself, “I work so hard, and I earn a decent salary every month. I can eat well and treat myself to something nice once in a while, but why does life still feel like it’s never enough?” I’m sure you’ve felt that way before. Or at the very least, you’ve often heard your friends complain about it. Well, read this carefully.
Welcome to octavianto.com. In this article, I want to discuss a topic that not many people are willing to talk about. You may not even realize that you’ve been stuck in this situation all along. I’m going to talk about the problems of the middle class. Yes, the middle class. We’re the ones who supposedly have a decent life. Not poor, but not extremely wealthy either. Every month, our salary is enough to pay the apartment rent, make loan payments, and eat well. Sometimes we buy trendy coffee, go on affordable staycations, but in the end, how come it’s only this date and there’s still so much salary left?
Are you aware of why our lives always seem to be stuck in the middle? Do you think hard work can elevate your social status? Not always, my friend. In fact, many say that the middle class is deliberately kept comfortable so that it remains a cash cow. I know it sounds like a conspiracy theory. But hold on. I’m not saying this is a flat earth theory or anything like that. I’m talking about the economic system, culture, and way of life that unconsciously turns us into money machines for many parties. Want an example?
We work hard every day to earn money. The money is spent on mortgage payments, car payments, and credit cards. The rest is spent on a lifestyle that makes us look successful. We buy new gadgets, hang out at trendy cafes, take short vacations, and suddenly, our money is gone. We wait for next month’s paycheck. Enough! We keep going around in circles. And without realizing it, we are never truly free. We are like hamsters on a fast-spinning wheel, tired, but going nowhere. And the most frustrating thing is that we feel guilty, thinking, “Ah, I’m just not working hard enough.” But the problem is not you, it’s the system that is designed that way.
Right now, I want to discuss with you what exactly makes the middle class always the cash cow? Why does it seem like we are given enough, but in reality, it is never really enough? Who benefits? And how can we break out of this vicious cycle? Because if you understand how this system works, you can start taking steps, not to suddenly become a king. Because I’m not selling dreams like a fake motivational speaker. I’m here to help you become more aware, more empowered, and no longer easily exploited.
Do you know what annoys me most about being middle class? It’s not the mediocre salary. It’s not just the rising price of gasoline or the increasing cost of Fischbrötchen. It’s the never-ending feeling of exhaustion. I often feel like I’m running on a treadmill. I run very fast, sweat dripping onto the floor. But when I look to the side, I’m still at the same point, not moving forward. And unfortunately, people say, “Just work harder so you can move up the class.”
They’re all just talking and don’t know how tired we feel. I still remember a few months ago when I was at a coffee shop, sitting in the corner, typing away at my work while sipping a latte. It was very crowded around me. Some people were having meetings with their laptops open, while others were wearing shorts and plain T-shirts but talking about million-euro businesses. Basically, everyone there seemed successful.
But did you know that at that moment, I felt like a fraud? Because behind the stylish wooden table and the latte art on my cup, I was thinking, “After this, I have to pay my installments, and I have very little savings left. I can already imagine what next month’s salary will be spent on.” Have you ever felt like you were pretending to be successful so you wouldn’t be left behind? Even though deep down you were very anxious and afraid of looking like a failure. That’s it, the burden of the middle class is mostly in your head. You work hard to be considered successful, to be able to post on Instagram, so you won’t be embarrassed at reunions with friends, so people will say you’ve settled down. But what is the result?
You end up getting caught up in a certain lifestyle. You can imagine that if you don’t hang out with your friends, you’re afraid of being labeled antisocial. If your cell phone is outdated, you’re afraid of not being cool. If you don’t go on cheap vacations, you’re afraid of being told that you’re still young but haven’t been anywhere. Even though you know very well that your money is limited. Those feelings don’t come from your heart, but from the trap that makes you feel that way. The system is deliberately designed that way. To keep you on the hamster wheel. To keep you working hard and consuming, so that the economy keeps turning. And do you know what the most ironic thing is?
You feel lucky to be middle class because you don’t have to go hungry, you can still buy coffee, you can still pay for Netflix. But on the other hand, you are never truly free. Because every time you want to breathe easy, there is always something that makes you have to spend more money. There’s always some lifestyle you have to follow. Like buying new gadgets, new fashion trends, new hangout spots, this expense, that expense. And that’s why I say the middle class is the easiest cash cow. You’re praised because you’re the backbone of the economy. You’re considered a hero because your taxes help the country run. But at the same time, you’re being milked dry. You will always be milked dry, constantly thinking about how to survive next week. How to avoid embarrassment in the eyes of others? How to keep up appearances that you are successful, and eventually you become more and more trapped and further away from the freedom you dream of.
That is why I am saying that this is not just about money. It is about your mental state, your life, your freedom. Because if you continue to be trapped in this pattern, you will forever be a cash cow who is unaware that they are being milked. I want you to take a deep breath because what I am about to say may sting.
Here’s the thing, bro. The middle class is deliberately created to be a comfort zone, but it also has traps. You are given enough to live comfortably so that you feel secure, but never enough to be truly free. It’s like you are given a fishing rod, but someone else is holding the line. Your money is always flowing, but it goes to the bank through interest on debt, to companies through lifestyle goods that are supposed to help you move up the social ladder, to the state through taxes, and to global brands through trends that trigger your desire to buy. And the worst part is that you feel like all of this is normal.
Do you know why? Because the system is designed to make you feel that if you are poor, you have to work harder. If you are middle class, you have to maintain your lifestyle to look successful. And if you are very rich, only then can you be free to control your own life. I remember an old saying, but I forget who said it. He said, “The real measure of your wealth is how much you’d be worth if you lost all your money.” This means that your true value is not just the number in your bank account, but your freedom to choose your life. But how can you be free when you are chasing installments, FOMO, and even other people’s standards of living?
Have you ever read the words of Yoval Noah Harari? He once said, “Homo sapiens rule the world because they are the only animal that can cooperate flexibly in large numbers.” Well, we are trapped into cooperating within a system of consumption. You think you are free to choose, when in fact you are being directed. A simple example is this: you scroll through TikTok, and suddenly a video of someone using the latest iPhone pops up. Just seeing the difference in the camera makes you feel like your phone is outdated. Even though your old phone is still fine. But you are being triggered. Because you are being forced to believe it. If you don’t keep up, you are considered behind the times. Or you feel insecure when you see your friends vacationing in Japan. Even though you don’t want to go to Japan. But because everyone is posting about it, you start thinking, “I want to go to Japan too. How can someone who earns 5000 euros a month not go to Japan?“ That’s how the middle-class trap works. And that’s why many economists say, ”The middle class is the most stable cash cow.” Because we are rich enough to be consumers, but not rich enough to be truly free. So today, I want you to wake up. I’m not saying you should suddenly quit your job and run away to the mountains to become a hunter. No, bro.
Living in the modern world still requires money. I just want you to understand the framework. Now, I want you to imagine your life as an RPG game. You start this game as a middle-class hero. Your stats are pretty high. You have a salary, skills, and a little savings. But every time you level up, the game gets harder. Your monsters also get bigger. Your monsters are called taxes, mortgage payments, lifestyle demands, and inflation. All these monsters drain your phone battery or your health. So the only way to win this game is not just by increasing your income. You also have to understand how the system keeps you consuming, who benefits from your money, and how to stay sane and not get swept away by the current. Because if you don’t realize this, you’ll remain a level 30 character stuck on the beginner’s map. And that’s exhausting. You can work hard, you can make a lot of money, but you have to understand why you’re doing all of this so that one day you’re working for yourself, not for the system.
Alright, bro, at this point you might be thinking, “So what should I do if the system is like this?” I’m not saying this is easy. There’s no shortcut that will suddenly make you financially free in a week. There isn’t. But there are some things you can do so you don’t keep being a cash cow. And this isn’t just theory. These are small things I do myself. I started with the most important thing.
First, you have to be brave enough to say, “Enough!” Seriously, you have to learn to limit what you want. Because you will never win if you keep chasing other people’s standards. For example, every time a new iPhone came out, I always felt like I had to upgrade. Even though my old phone was still in great condition, and the camera was still clear. It didn’t lag either, but I was triggered because everyone else was using it. Until finally, I said to myself, “Enough, I don’t want to buy something just to be recognized by others.” And after that, I felt very relieved. You will be surprised. Many things that you think are a necessity turn out to be just a desire to be considered cool.
Second, you have to understand your own numbers. Do you know how many people work hard but don’t know where their money goes? Because we are often too lazy to do the math. We always feel that we will have enough until the end of the month. But then suddenly we are in debt. You don’t have to be a financial expert, bro. You just need to sit down for an hour, open a notebook, and write. Where do you get your money from, what do you spend it on, what are your essential needs, and what are just FOMO purchases? Once you start recording everything and sorting out what is essential and what is not, I guarantee your eyes will be opened. I used to say to myself, “Ah, hanging out for coffee is only 5 euros, that’s small change.” But when I calculated it, I realized I was spending 150 euros a month just on coffee. Crazy, right? Why spend that much money just on coffee?
Third, set goals that motivate you. Do you know why the middle class is so easily trapped? Because their lives are just about survival. They have no greater goals. You need to have dreams. Not just dreams of becoming rich—everyone wants to be rich. But write down your dreams in detail. What do you want right now? Do you want to own a house in an elite neighborhood with an area of 100 square meters? Do you want to own a German-made car with a left-hand drive and all the latest technology and features? Do you want to earn 20,000 euros per month net?
Write it down in detail, and put it somewhere you can see it every day. So you always remember why you work hard. I really like Simon Sinek’s words, “Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress. Working hard for something we love is called passion.” You must have something you love. Otherwise, you will get tired and never feel satisfied. This is very important, bro. Because if you know what you are pursuing, it will be easier for you to say no to things that only make you look cool.
Finally, you must remember that life is not a race to see who can achieve success the fastest. Sometimes you see your friends succeed first, buying houses, cars, Ducati Panigale motorcycles, and then you feel like a failure. But bro, everyone has their own time. Don’t let the system make you think your life is like someone else’s timeline. I myself am still very far from being financially free. But I am much calmer now because I know that I am not chasing other people’s lifestyles. I know where my money is going. And I know what I am chasing. I want you to feel what I feel. That doesn’t mean you stop working hard, but you work hard for yourself, not to continue being a cash cow for the system.
Have you ever felt like your life is for other people (not your children, wife, or family)? You work hard day and night, you collect money, but then your money is gone again. Not just for necessities. But also to make other people think that you are successful. And the saddest thing is, you feel that this is normal. But bro, your life has a price that is more valuable than just an image. I want to make this clear: you are not a cash cow! You are a human being. And you have the right to choose your own life. You are more than just a consumer targeted by advertisements. More than just a tax object, more than just a statistic of the middle class that is said to be the backbone of the economy. You are a being with dreams, a brain, and a heart.
I know the system is designed to keep us running on that treadmill, to keep us moving. To keep the economy turning. But we also need to know that we have brakes. We can work hard, we can earn a lot of money. But we need to know who we’re working hard for. Because if not, we will always be tired. I don’t want you to become a generation that works hard, that is really worked to death. I know how it feels, bro. I know how it feels when you wake up, your eyes are still heavy with sleep and you already feel tired even though you haven’t done anything yet.
Because your head is full of bills, installments, and feelings of failure compared to your friends. Overthinking what would happen if you suddenly got sick or lost your job. I know how it feels because I’ve been there too. But do you know what the most important moment was that made me change? It was when I started to ignore what other people said and started to replace it with what I said, with what I wanted. I started to dare to say enough is enough. I stopped buying things just to impress people who didn’t even care about me. I slowly started to manage my money for my own dreams and my family. And slowly, the burden felt lighter.
I want you to remember this one sentence: “I work hard not to look successful, I work hard so that my life is according to my choices.” It’s okay to have big dreams. Wanting a nice house, a cool car, a vacation to Bali, that’s fine. But make sure you do it because you want it, not because you’re afraid of being considered a failure. Because in the end, the most expensive thing is not your lifestyle. The most expensive thing is your freedom.
Bro, I want you to take a deep breath. After what we’ve discussed, I’m sure your head is spinning. Maybe you’re thinking, “So that’s how I’ve been treated like a cash cow.” Or maybe you’re feeling angry, sad, or scared. I understand completely. It’s not easy to face the reality that our lives are largely controlled by the system. But hear me out, bro. You can’t be a victim of the system. Today, you’ve taken the most important step, which is becoming aware of all these systems. And that alone sets you apart from the billions of people out there who are still stuck on the hamster wheel.
Now there’s just one more step. You have to take action. I’m not asking you to become a millionaire right away or to resign tomorrow. I’m just asking you to slow down for a moment and rearrange your life. Start from scratch. You deserve to have the life you choose for yourself, not the life forced on you by the system, trends, or other people’s opinions. I believe in you, bro. Because I know that people our age are stubborn. If you already know the reason, you will definitely be able to find a way. And if you need a place to share your story, vent, or if you have thoughts on how to fight this system, drop your comments in the comments section or contact our website admin. I want to hear your story. Who knows, your story might help someone else who feels alone, because we’re not alone, bro. And the more people who become aware, the less room there is for the system to trap us.
Remember these words once again. “I work hard not to look successful. I work hard so that I can live according to my own choices.” Because in the end, we are the ones who live our own lives, each and every one of us. Not other people, not the system, or even social media algorithms.
See you at the second step. Even if it’s small, it’s always more meaningful than never taking a step at all.