She wears the right clothes (the clothes in this show are, in a word, gorgeous), styles the right hair and make-up, attends the right Galas, and spends money at the right charity auctions while being repeatedly refused entry.
I was struck by how beautiful the show is. It seems that the 1% not only dress and vacation better but also have a generally higher quality of life than the rest of us, a theme that has come up often in pop culture lately.
Our fascination with wealth seems to increase as the middle class disappears. Shows like Succession, The Crown, The White Lotus, and Bridgerton play on themes of wealth and power and the fantasy of what being rich can buy us.
I think anyone who says money can’t buy happiness has never been poor. Worrying about basic necessities is a major stumbling block to a happy life. However, pursuing wealth and power for their own sake is also emotionally trapping, chasing the carrot of a never-ending stick. They are the flip sides of the same coin.
Maxine desperately tries to belong to the elite group that continually rejects her, so she loses faith in herself. She succumbs to outdated models of social caste systems, seeking to minimize others to perpetuate power over them. As they cause her to question her worth, she comes to believe them – the ultimate loss of personal power.
Palm Royale offers a dialogue about how we are all prey to the same relentless struggles. The power to fit in is so embedded in our DNA that we cannot avoid it, especially if you are one of the 5 billion people using social media.
While wanting to be rich is fabulous, it’s so easy to turn ourselves over to its pursuit.
It’s like drinking seawater; the more you drink, the thirstier you become, and you are never satisfied.
Because you could always vacation better, buy a nicer house, wear nicer clothes, belong to a more exclusive beach club, buy a yacht and then a nicer one and then a jet, and so on.
Admittedly, I haven’t finished Palm Royale, so I can’t tell you if Maxine experiences a moment of transcendence when she realizes that the people she wants approval from, she secretly disapproves of and loses respect for. Does anyone know if this happens?
However, I am reminded of a philosophical exercise:
If, in your loneliness of lonely moments, a spirit came to you and said you would be forced to live your life over and over again, in the same way, every breath, every sigh, every awkward exchange, every stress, every hardship like an hourglass continually flipping over and over again, would you curse the spirit as evil relegating you to the depths of hell? Or are there moments so lovely, so splendid, so special that you would feel an angel has appeared, granting you eternal bliss in heaven?
This week, I encourage you to consider your own pursuits. What are you really searching for? If it is only about outward things—money, beauty, status, power, accolades—you may find those only bring fleeting rewards, only to bring you back to square one, searching for more. They are counterfeit.
Real meaning is about staying present, knowing yourself, belonging to yourself, believing in yourself, and generously giving all of this to others, not with your money but with your spirit.
