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Once your basic needs are met (food, companionship, shelter, health care), everything else is just gravy. After that minimum starting point, happiness becomes a choice you make for the most part (barring mental illness or extreme tragedy).
Once your basic needs are met (food, companionship, shelter, health care), everything else is just gravy. After that minimum starting point, happiness becomes a choice you make for the most part (barring mental illness or extreme tragedy).
Spot on and agreed. People really don't require "that" much relative to western standards, but poverty can be a stressor that leads to unhappiness.
Having more money would make me happier - because I'm already happy. But having more money but not having my husband, my son, my dog, my friends, etc. would not make me happy. I feel like there was some study on lottery winners and it said that the people that were happy before they won the lottery did really well - and the ones that weren't happy before didn't do well.
Lets keep it real lol, most people's problems when you get to the root of it the vast majority of the time has to do with not having any or enough money. I'm not saying it will help everything, but 95% of your current problems would instantly disappear being rich
That's my point: happiness doesn't have a price tag. Sure buy ________ will make you happy for a little while, but what about when that "rush/high" wears off? You're left with the stuff and an emptiness.
To answer your question, no. I do not buy things for happiness, I buy things out of necessity. As I previously posted, I have learned the value of a dollar.
This....it is the "illusion" of money that people chase. Everyone has experienced what wealthy people experience related to buying goods/services to fill their happy tank. Watch a child rave and fuss that they have to have the new IT toy saying, "If you get this for me it will be the last time I ask you for anything." Wait to see how long it takes for the newness to wear off and then their interest gets shifted to the next IT toy.
That's how people in general get caught in the vicious cycle of materialism where they keep buying more and more stuff (for those who are rich) or think that buying more and more stuff (for those who are of lesser means) to/will maintain the high. Truth be told that's where a relationship with Jesus comes in. It is the ONLY thing that can bring everlasting joy/happiness to human beings regardless of your socioeconomic status (speaking from experience).
I can't believe some people actually say this. I must be living on a different planet.
No rich person would ever say this. I imagine it must be the poor folk who tell themselves this. Rich people are living it up, going on holidays, riding horses, living in nice neighborhoods, buying bentleys, buying mansions,.... how can anyone be unhappy with filthy amounts of money? Rich people are less stressed and more cheerful than poor people. This isn't even a debate.
For me I choose money over everything. It'd definitely buy me happiness. Nothing is more important.
How do you explain the happy people who don't have a lot of money?
I keep reading that happiness is a choice. I don't know if I agree with that. Some people rich or poor are very unhappy. Most of them have tons of mental problems. Money does buy happiness to some degree. It buys assurance, safety, the neccessities everyone needs to survive plus extras. Yes, it's nice to think that money doesn't make any difference in peoples happiness but that is false imo. I've seen many celebrities over the years saying that they wish that they weren't famous. Yet, when pushed for honesty, they all say, but I would hate to be broke again. These people give up their anonymity to be rich and famous. In truth, I've never heard any of them ever say that they would rather have their old lives back. Which was usually poor and struggling. I am not poor and I am not rich. But I sure have a list of things I would do if I had more money.
Having said all that, I do think that money can buy temporary happiness. To be truly happy is an inside job. But money doesn't hurt.
Last edited by supermanpansy; 02-20-2013 at 07:05 PM..
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