Money is Not Everything

[SeanKelly]

Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.

http://www.troll.me/images/thumbs-up-jesus-says/jesus-says-shut-the-F*ck-up.jpg

 

[GuestUser113]

http://www.troll.me/images/thumbs-up-jesus-says/jesus-says-shut-the-F*ck-up.jpg

 

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[early riser]

Money isn't everything, but it makes a lot of things a lot easier. I view it as a means and not an end.

To me the value of it (as well as MJ) is the freedom it will allow and in turn there is a greater chance it will enable me to do more things that make a positive difference.

As the billionaire Paul Feeney who plans on giving it all away once said "I want the last check I write to bounce".

 

[Blhhi]

Malcolm Gladwell's latest book (David and Goliath) tried to make and then expound on that claim that more income causes diminishing returns of happiness. I threw the book out.

Well that's a different discussion entirely. I mean, everything has diminishing returns. A million dollars for me is a life changing event. A million dollars for Bill Gates is a rounding error.

How far into this book did this occur? Was it the old "Once you make $70K/year you won't be any happier" argument?

It really wasn't like that at all. Gladwell's argument was that wealth's effect on happiness is like an upside down parabola. The closer you are to 0, the more money will increase your happiness. But as you earn more, the same money increase provides a smaller happiness increase. You can intuitively guess this. Give me $1,000 and that's a big deal. Give MJ $1,000 and it's not likely to change anything. He said nothing about money not making you happy. Only that the richer you are, the less happy it will make you.

Gladwell's books are not actually self-help or pop-psychology, even though he markets them that way because it makes him rich. Ultimately they're explorations of interesting ideas. More like Freakonomics than The 4-hour-workweek.

 

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[Blhhi]

He segued into a discussion about how rich people have just as difficult of a time raising their kids as poor people, because the kids are... rich.

Specifically he meant first-generation rich people. Someone who went from poverty to mega rich. His argument was that they struggle to raise their children because they can't relate. They learned the value of hard work because they had to work to earn the money for any shiny new things they wanted. Rich kids don't have to do that. So the parents don't know how to teach them those lessons. I don't think he was implying that it's just as hard to raise a kid in beverly hills as it is in harlem.

Anyway, I'm not interested in defending this guy. He isn't my friend, and I don't believe in everything he says. I just liked the book, and I didn't want it being totally misrepresented. It's quite good.

 

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[twdavis]

I think the denial of a correlation between financial security and happiness is somewhat delusional. I also think the attempt to cap the correlation at a fixed dollar amount (i.e. after $75k, there's no more satisfaction to be gained by increased wealth) is ludicrous. I have learned to be content in all circumstances, but happiness is an emotion. Happiness is a mental or emotional state of well-being characterized by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. It's a spectrum. It's a range.

When I had bill collectors calling me, my happiness was less. When I had zero money, zero income, and fading hope, happiness was less.

It's OK to admit that money swings the spectrum of happiness from less to more. It's not politically correct, and it takes away the security blanket from those who try and deny the correlation, but it's true in most cases. Most people I have ever met who try and make the opposite case never had money. And, 100% of them, if given the opportunity, would take the money.

Malcolm Gladwell's latest book (David and Goliath) tried to make and then expound on that claim that more income causes diminishing returns of happiness. I threw the book out.

Gospel.

[emoji106] [emoji106]

 

[twdavis]

"Money isn't the root of all evil, a LACK of money is the root of all evil."


-Gene Simmons

 

[smarty]

I just booked a trip to Ambergris Caye. I don't say "vacation" because my life already feels like a vacation.

For those who don't know where Ambergris Caye is, its a Carribiean island off the coast of Belize. The trip was spontaneous and unplanned. No boss to ask. No permission required. I will be lodging in the #1 rated accommodations on the island. The long flight? I will be flying first class. All of the aforementioned came to pass because of money, or indirectly, because of money. And you know what, this makes me happy and excited. And I am much happier that I don't have to sit stuffed in coach class for 6 hours. I am much happier that my bed will have the finest linens with the finest beach view, and not be some seedy dump near a crime ridden area. I am much happier that I will be eating and drinking the finest the island has to offer.

Yes, money is not everything. I understand that I enjoy these luxuries compliments of my relationship with money and the production/consumption equation. Money, properly managed, is a tool that provides variety, options, and freedom. It is a tool that arrives in your life when you produce, solve problems, and be valuable to your fellow man. This simple aforementioned statement is lost on most. Never in all of history has a teenager said "When I grow up, I want to provide value and contribute to the world!" -- nope, its "I want to be rich!"

Sure money is not everything-- but without it, the above story would never happen and instead, I'd have to wait until some corporation, some boss, or some schedule told me it was OK to go. IMO, the "money doesn't buy happiness" crowd doesn't understand money, consumption, or production. And the money chasers? They're no different as they've made money their everything, willing to sell their soul, ethics, and/or integrity for illusions of value-- yea, they won't be happy either once the high of their latest gadget wears thin...

Earn money by righteous contribution and watch how happy you'll be.

'Nuff said, this thread needs to be closed now, before the beauty of this post is ruined and lost between new/other posts.

Sent from my bathroom using Tapatalk 2

 

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[RogueInnovation]

IMO, the "money doesn't buy happiness" crowd doesn't understand money, consumption, or production. And the money chasers? They're no different as they've made money their everything, willing to sell their soul, ethics, and/or integrity for illusions of value-- yea, they won't be happy either once the high of their latest gadget wears thin

Both, of those things irritate the sh#t out of me

I think there is a real f#cker to face though

I think this is what everyone is scared of.
This seed of hatred in peoples heart.

... and worse
When it is forced into their own

Earn money by righteous contribution and watch how happy you'll be

That is Zen Focus
What an awesome thread

 

[mowealth]

Every time I drive my dream car that I bought a few years ago, I become a kid again, because it is a possession I've wanted for as long as I can remember. It gives me that feeling that hard work surely does pay off, because there have been a lot of ups and downs (like in any business) but once you persist nothing can stop you. Yes, there are new inventions to replace the old every single day, but this specific vehicle has value to me and not because of its brand or quality but because it's a reminder that "whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve"

and finally

"Money may or may not buy you happiness, but it can make you awfully comfortable while you're being miserable"

 

[Kid Money]

Did his wealthy parents afford the car or did he scratch and claw his way to be able to afford it? Of course the value he places on something he didnt earn is less than the normal person. I know many people on both sides of the equation. Without a shadow of a doubt the people who came from nothing like myself look at the things they possess in a whole different light. That cant be argued. Every time I look at my vehicles/possessions I always ask myself the question "Damn, how many hours did I work hard at getting that". People put a skewed emphasis on money too much. Its simple. MONEY runs planet earth and if you think otherwise you are totally in denial. Is it everything? Absolutely not. When I take vacations around the world and my old friends who think money is evil are stuck mopping floors, who do you think is smiling and optimistic about their future?

Remind me again where the confusion is?

 

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[NoahSK]

Money in this day of age is required for happiness on so many levels.