Does money make life worth living?
- Thread starter cpauser
- Start date
I've seen people with hardly any money (in a beach hut which could be torn down at any moment by the authorities) living together and having a ball over the simplest things in life. In this case, a guy was giving his wife some new clothes for her birthday, and eating some cake with his kids, who were overjoyed to be celebrating a birthday together.
The guy had to borrow and get into some debt to buy the new clothes as well. Go figure. Once you have some basics, money doesn't make you happier, it just buys you more shit (which then needs maintaining)... Which is where the phrase 'mo money mo problems' comes from...
Besides, everyone knows money is debt!
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqvKjsIxT_8]Money As Debt - Full Length Documentary - YouTube[/ame]
The guy had to borrow and get into some debt to buy the new clothes as well. Go figure. Once you have some basics, money doesn't make you happier, it just buys you more shit (which then needs maintaining)... Which is where the phrase 'mo money mo problems' comes from...
Besides, everyone knows money is debt!
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqvKjsIxT_8]Money As Debt - Full Length Documentary - YouTube[/ame]
No and yes..
Let me explain this with two easy answers:
Money buys things that make you happy.
Drugs are things that make you happy.
In the end both lose their glow with time, and stop making you happy...
.......
Which pretty much means this...
Buying fancy dinners, cars, gadgets, expensive houses, etc. or doing cocaine, heroin, etc. is not a long term source of happiness. BOTH aspects are external forces to make you FEEL happy presently..
What were to happen if you took those away?
All that you're left with is yourself.
..........
I think people over value money, like it's some sort of lifesaver...
In reality there's people who live in the woods, go hunting, climb the mountains, and are content/happy in the wilderness. They might have a few reasonable possessions to live with, but they don't rely on them.
These are the same people who will sit atop a cliff for an hour painting the sunset, or writing a novel. To them their is no greater reward, or even famous painters who spend years on pieces, knowing damn well no one will buy them..
...............
And I think everyone has that pure internal happiness.. Almost everyone has witness it, when was the last time you took in nature a top of a hill, and just viewed the scenery in awe?....
I'd really like to think it stems from personal success.. That's the ultimate reward of life, and it applies to everything.. You might notice it when you raise kids, (accomplishment), or build a successful company, or climb a mountain and see the reward of the beautiful surroundings.. It can ever go as far as traveling, you worked hard for the money, your in the hotel room on the 90th floor staring down at the city, and it looks amazing.. You know if you didn't work for it, you would still be on the ground missing out.
All of these external things, they are just indications, or reminders. They are NOT where your happiness stems from, because it all starts with YOU.
............
My thoughts...
Let me explain this with two easy answers:
Money buys things that make you happy.
Drugs are things that make you happy.
In the end both lose their glow with time, and stop making you happy...
.......
Which pretty much means this...
Buying fancy dinners, cars, gadgets, expensive houses, etc. or doing cocaine, heroin, etc. is not a long term source of happiness. BOTH aspects are external forces to make you FEEL happy presently..
What were to happen if you took those away?
All that you're left with is yourself.
..........
I think people over value money, like it's some sort of lifesaver...
In reality there's people who live in the woods, go hunting, climb the mountains, and are content/happy in the wilderness. They might have a few reasonable possessions to live with, but they don't rely on them.
These are the same people who will sit atop a cliff for an hour painting the sunset, or writing a novel. To them their is no greater reward, or even famous painters who spend years on pieces, knowing damn well no one will buy them..
...............
And I think everyone has that pure internal happiness.. Almost everyone has witness it, when was the last time you took in nature a top of a hill, and just viewed the scenery in awe?....
I'd really like to think it stems from personal success.. That's the ultimate reward of life, and it applies to everything.. You might notice it when you raise kids, (accomplishment), or build a successful company, or climb a mountain and see the reward of the beautiful surroundings.. It can ever go as far as traveling, you worked hard for the money, your in the hotel room on the 90th floor staring down at the city, and it looks amazing.. You know if you didn't work for it, you would still be on the ground missing out.
All of these external things, they are just indications, or reminders. They are NOT where your happiness stems from, because it all starts with YOU.
............
My thoughts...
A lot of things like happiness,friends,family,etc. that money can't buy but we need it for living.
I'm a bit ashamed of some of you so called marketers trying to make the case that once you have enough money to meet all your basic needs, more money won't make you more happy.
You're marketers. I know you know better... The basic principle of "enough is never enough" for we humans proves that false.
It's why we can sell things to people that they don't need. Buying more things makes people happier. You can try all you like to split hairs down to how long that happiness lasts or what "type" of happiness it is but try as you may that will not dilute the fact that the statement is still true.
Sounds good saying that all you need is love and acceptance and you'll be happy. But what if you had love acceptance AND money? That's right, you might not reply and admit it, but you just realized it. You'd be even happier.
You're marketers. I know you know better... The basic principle of "enough is never enough" for we humans proves that false.
It's why we can sell things to people that they don't need. Buying more things makes people happier. You can try all you like to split hairs down to how long that happiness lasts or what "type" of happiness it is but try as you may that will not dilute the fact that the statement is still true.
Sounds good saying that all you need is love and acceptance and you'll be happy. But what if you had love acceptance AND money? That's right, you might not reply and admit it, but you just realized it. You'd be even happier.
Honesty, integrity, acceptance
I have preferences about my outside circumstances, but in the end they don't matter at all. On the other hand, sacrificing integrity causes me plenty of pain regardless of how hot the girl is or how much money is in the bank or whatever.
I don't think money makes life worth living. The drag people feel on life, the rat race people go through, the pressure and stress they have in their life is not a result of lack of money. It is the result of personal decisions.
Having more money isn't going to change this. Money will scale who you are. That's why people who win the lottery blow it immediately. That's why people who earn it through hard work save and invest it carefully. Money scales who people are, it doesn't change them, for the most part.
People get back what they put out to the world. Since many people are raised by the state and broken families they have no real encouragement or compass for following their dreams. People would enjoy life much more working on their own individual, creative desires but they are brought up to do the opposite. Because people don't know any better they don't get any better.
There are many different qualities that make life worth living which are unique for each individual. Money is sometimes a bi-product of those qualities, but it is not the source.
Having more money isn't going to change this. Money will scale who you are. That's why people who win the lottery blow it immediately. That's why people who earn it through hard work save and invest it carefully. Money scales who people are, it doesn't change them, for the most part.
People get back what they put out to the world. Since many people are raised by the state and broken families they have no real encouragement or compass for following their dreams. People would enjoy life much more working on their own individual, creative desires but they are brought up to do the opposite. Because people don't know any better they don't get any better.
There are many different qualities that make life worth living which are unique for each individual. Money is sometimes a bi-product of those qualities, but it is not the source.
Looked at another way, money can help you maintain your integrity by being your own man, and not having to compromise your ideals or values to make bread.
This is too complicated a question to answer simply. A lot of the answer has to do with conditioning, expectations and personal history.
Someone who was raised with money will likely feel most comfortable at a certain income level. This, of course, will vary by society. That beach hut may provide just about everything the family needs in terms of shelter and safety. If they can afford the basics, they are probably happy, and some day their children will be satisfied by a similar life.
The biggest obstacle in Western cultures isn't how much money we have, it's how much money we think we need. We are a consumer driven society, and it always surprises me a bit to see a bunch of marketers who thrive on the mindless consumers in the marketplace profess to essentially be mindless consumers themselves.
The "American Dream" says we should make lots of money and buy lots of nice stuff. We take advantage of the dream of others in this society to fuel the same dream in ourselves. Sell stuff, make money, buy stuff, show it off, sell more stuff, make more money.
The trick to finding happiness with money seems to be breaking the cycle. Make the money but find a way to pull yourself out of the sheeple - even the rich sheeple - who make money only to spend it on wasteful items or show it off.
Someone who was raised with money will likely feel most comfortable at a certain income level. This, of course, will vary by society. That beach hut may provide just about everything the family needs in terms of shelter and safety. If they can afford the basics, they are probably happy, and some day their children will be satisfied by a similar life.
The biggest obstacle in Western cultures isn't how much money we have, it's how much money we think we need. We are a consumer driven society, and it always surprises me a bit to see a bunch of marketers who thrive on the mindless consumers in the marketplace profess to essentially be mindless consumers themselves.
The "American Dream" says we should make lots of money and buy lots of nice stuff. We take advantage of the dream of others in this society to fuel the same dream in ourselves. Sell stuff, make money, buy stuff, show it off, sell more stuff, make more money.
The trick to finding happiness with money seems to be breaking the cycle. Make the money but find a way to pull yourself out of the sheeple - even the rich sheeple - who make money only to spend it on wasteful items or show it off.
I agree, but I think of it slightly differently: supporting yourself is the right thing to do, so making money is the result of acting with integrity. It's really just splitting hairs, but it helps me to think of integrity coming first and money following. This is dependent on believing that being self-supporting is important, but I using honesty as an example of something that makes me happy that money can't buy, and I definitely see being a leech as a form of dishonesty.
so many things I could say, but I will leave you with this- I have had money, lost it and all the good stuff that goes with it. What have I learned? Take 15% of everything you earn and PAY YOURSELF FIRST. Hide that shit, bury it, buy precious metals, whatever you want, but pay yourself first everytime and forget it exists.
I had a friend lose a million dollars investing in some business venture involving a medical card like a credit card that you swipe with all your medical history on it. Promised big returns on his money, blah, blah, blah. He told me he would rather have a million dollars hidden away making zero interest than to be swindled into a growth scam. That always stuck with me.
Don't let some hot piece of ass or a coke habit or so called friends wipe you out either. To quote P Diddy & Biggie- mo money, mo problems. That shit is the truth. And even when you have a little money- always tell everyone you are broke. Being flashy is only cool if you want to be broke in 5 years. God, hindsight is a mother.
I had a friend lose a million dollars investing in some business venture involving a medical card like a credit card that you swipe with all your medical history on it. Promised big returns on his money, blah, blah, blah. He told me he would rather have a million dollars hidden away making zero interest than to be swindled into a growth scam. That always stuck with me.
Don't let some hot piece of ass or a coke habit or so called friends wipe you out either. To quote P Diddy & Biggie- mo money, mo problems. That shit is the truth. And even when you have a little money- always tell everyone you are broke. Being flashy is only cool if you want to be broke in 5 years. God, hindsight is a mother.