Can you live a happy life without much money?

@Miller,

Yes. Rich is better.

David

0 Replies

@nononono,

nononono wrote:

That's BULLSHIT.

I agree that what you've written, in this thread is BS. I suspect, that you don't know what REAL poverty is, and this is sad if you're a US citizen. It basically sounds like nonsense coming from a white kid, who's grown up in an up-scale white suburb , probably to white, yuppie parents.

Do poor kids get to take SAT classes like the yuppie, upper-middle class kids do? Of course not, you need DOUGH to take those classes and you need to take time off your minimum wage job ( characteristic of poor kids and adults).

You're the type, who if you'd lived during the depression,would have been the first to jump from a hi-rise window as the stocks fell...and fell... and fell.

1 Reply

@Sturgis,

Quote:

Times, even recent, when I've been without, I have still been happy. Wish I had a way to convey and transfer this freedom to you.

Is it freedom, or is it pride in being a radical, pride in rebelling against the billions of dollars a year in propaganda for commercialism??? I think is was easier to live in poverty back when we were a Christian nation and when the churches often taught that poverty was fine. We have churches still, but I dont think they teach the virtues of poverty much anymore. Most of the big churches actively promote the acquisition of goods and services now. Even in mass I have not heard a pro poverty sermon in forever.

1 Reply

@hawkeye10,

hawkeye10 wrote:

Quote:
Times, even recent, when I've been without, I have still been happy. Wish I had a way to convey and transfer this freedom to you.

Is it freedom, or is it pride in being a radical, pride in rebelling against the billions of dollars a year in propaganda for commercialism??? I think is was easier to live in poverty back when we were a Christian nation and when the churches often taught that poverty was fine. We have churches still, but I dont think they teach the virtues of poverty much anymore. Most of the big churches actively promote the acquisition of goods and services now.

Even in mass I have not heard a pro poverty sermon in forever.

If any religion did THAT,
I 'd question its judgment.

1 Reply

@OmSigDAVID,

Quote:

If any religion did THAT,
I 'd question its judgment.

We have a Catholic church here in Olympia that really cant give a virtues of poverty sermon, because they are constantly agitating for more money from the pews, the real hard sell.

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@Miller,

Quote:

I suspect, that you don't know what REAL poverty is, and this is sad if you're a US citizen. It basically sounds like nonsense coming from a white kid, who's grown up in an up-scale white suburb , probably to white, yuppie parents.

Wow! have you missed the point (and facts) of the thread!

First, I'm not white, I'm black.

Second, I grew up poor. Not to yuppie parents. So yea, I know exactly what "real" poverty is.

Third, the point of this thread is not "preaching that poverty is happiness", or "pro poverty", but rather pondering if happiness can be found in life for those without great wealth.

Because a lot of people out there are struggling. For most people, even if they work as hard as they can, they'll never be wealthy because the world's wealth is distributed in such an uneven way. Most people in the world aren't born into rich families and handed life on a silver platter (including me). And honestly I can't think of any people I've ever known who were born rich that didn't grow up to be vapid, self centered, oblivious wastes of human space (just watch some reality TV.)

I grew up poor and worked hard for what I have in life. Everything I have is something I acquired through my own ingenuity. I float on my own steam and not my family's coattails. Because of that, I appreciate what I do have, and I've learned to not be wasteful. I never got any hand outs. Can you say that?

2 Replies

@Sturgis,

Quote:

Moreover, I notice that many of you don't seem to either comprehend the O.P.'s inquiry or how to respond directly to it.

Exactly!

Sturgis, would you be willing to share more of your thoughts on how you've found happiness in your life that wasn't reliant on 'things' (beyond basic life necessities)?

0 Replies

@nononono,

Congrats for your accomplishments and your ability to understand the value of making it on your own.

If we've been keeping up with our economy for the past several decades, most of us understand that the majority of middle class families have lost our share of the benefits of hard work. The simple fact that CEO's now earn almost 300% more than the average wage at the company they work at 'should' be a clue as to what's happened. When the top 20% owns more than 80% of the assets, we know our economy is broken.

That is simple greed; it doesn't help them or everybody else when sharing the largess of their company profit will benefit all of them and not only the CEO and shareholders.

Greed ignores common sense.

0 Replies

@nononono,

Did u c my post, wherein I raised a question
of your use of the concept: "integrity"
and that my efforts were in service of HEDONISM, instead ?

1 Reply

@OmSigDAVID,

David, if you've never worked a day in your life then as far as I'm concerned you're not in touch with reality.

And you could hurt someone dropping things from the air...

1 Reply

@nononono,

nononono wrote:

David, if you've never worked a day in your life then
as far as I'm concerned you're not in touch with reality.

U claim that trial lawyers r not in touch with reality; gotcha.
I have experienced people getting mad and resenting
other folks for not laboring. Its OK with me.

nononono wrote:

And you could hurt someone dropping things from the air...

I did not drop them onto anyone,
and there were no complaints.

I thought that u might like to explain
how u employ the word: "integrity", but I guess not.

1 Reply

@OmSigDAVID,

You were a lawyer? Ok, well that is a job. You made it sound like you came from a wealthy family and had never worked once. So that's what's known as a miscommunication...

Did you know that I'm a college graduate, and that one of my best friends is a lawyer?

2 Replies

@nononono,

nononono wrote:

You were a lawyer? Ok, well that is a job.

I 've known people who actually DID labor.
I was bringing out the distinction,
contrasting that with predominantly speaking in argument or in negotiation.

To my mind, conversing is not working.

0 Replies

@nononono,

nononono wrote:

When I think about the things that really make me smile, none of them really have anything to do with money. Yet money causes worry, so relief of that worry is happiness in and of itself.

Happy to hear any thoughts.

The question is vague. Exactly how much are we talking? Is there a range?

People need to understand that money is used as an indirect medium of exchange. You exchange value for value with it. Think of it as a function. I bet you that some of the things that make you smile are, in part, because of money; because you can purchase what you want with it.

By your logic, anything that causes worry needs to be relieved of in order to have happiness in and of itself. Which is absurd. And what the hell is "happiness in and of itself"? Are we going Hegelian here?

0 Replies

@nononono,

nononono wrote:

You were a lawyer? Ok, well that is a job.

No, that's a profession.

0 Replies

I think peopel can live very happilly without enough money, the happiness that is given by relatives and friends is the most precious wealth.

1 Reply

@nononono,

Well money does affect happiness and i also doeson't. Malcolm Gladwell dealt with this topic in his book "Outlier". Both have a correlation up to middle class income, above that it's a straight line, means no impact

0 Replies

@Isabelle2090,

Isabelle2090 wrote:

I think peopel can live very happilly without enough money, the happiness that is given by relatives and friends is the most precious wealth.

Either it requires the right mindset, or happily ignorence.

Many piss poor people who never heard about the filthy ritch people often lives very happy.

0 Replies

@Setanta,

I'm glad you were provided some happiness from this thread.

1 Reply

Can you live a happy life without much money?

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