A few years ago I was stealing water from a construction site so my partner and I could flush the toilet. Parked in a development lot in the middle of the night, watching for security guards while I filled a bunch of plastic organizer bins in the back of a van.
We were several years into a total financial crashout from a combination of major health problems, deaths in the family, and a floundering job market. Things are better now, but I can say at least that I know now what it feels like to lose everything and claw your way back out of the hole. I don’t recommend it, it sucks.
Our nation doesn’t want you to succeed. Remember that. In order for the wealthy to stay wealthy, there has to be a class of people who have less or nothing so that money retains value. We’re the richest fucking nation that’s ever existed, many times over, so if we really wanted we could end poverty, we could end hunger and disease and make a glorious world where everyone is comfortable and able to aim for their own dreams without risk of losing everything and having to steal water to flush the fucking the toilet.
We’re not in that world for the simple reason that a tiny fraction of people want to have things and they want other people to envy them.
Well duh. Just apply for a leadership position. Double the stress for a dollar raise!
As the saying goes, money can’t buy you happiness but a lack of money can buy you a lot of misery. Enough money for a comfortable lifestyle, anything over that and we enter ego validation territory.
The one I heard is money can’t buy you happiness but it can buy you a helicopter, which is almost as good
Money probably really doesn’t make you happy. Most of the things that make me happy have nothing to do with me being able to buy crap I don’t need.
But that dumb sentiment hides the fact that a lack of money can definitely make you miserable.
Only the people that never had stress over dentist of vet bills will suggest money is somehow not a massive factor in determining your quality of life in a capitalist society.
Honestlyyyy.
My biggest issue rn is credit card debt. My dog needed multiple surgeries and my car needed fixed. I have 2 maxed out cards and no interest until November. It’s only like 6k to pay off, but it’s still overwhelming because I’ve never had to deal with this type of thing before. I think I can get it all paid off before November, but it’s still a daunting task.
Rip my fun summer plans.
Yeah, life always seems to throw expensive problems at people all at the same time. I thought I had a pretty good nest egg saved up, and then boom… Car shit the bed, cat needed surgery, wife had a hospital stay, and a few other big life events. All while the economy is in the garbage, inflation is in the high double digits, (due to the aforementioned hospital stay) the wife is out of work, and any hope of a social safety net was being dismantled right in front of me.
I didn’t even consciously realize how stressed I was about money, until I realized I had fallen back to pirating my PC games instead of just buying them. I hadn’t been a prolific pirate since my broke college student days… And then suddenly there I was again, browsing FG’s site for the latest repack, so I could install it in between shifts.
Staycation all I can afford, staycation can’t get away, staycation guess I’ll just be alone.
I’m very close to paying off all my student debt. You’d think I’d be happier with the extra 250 a month now going to me, but… it’s really not a life changing amount. I can afford better groceries, and can save a bit for a rainy day. Other than that, nothing much really.
Financial independence would be life changing. Not seeing a large portion of my income going to rent, but to a property that I own and can happily invest time and effort into. That would be amazing
Happiness is connected to contentment, feeling you have enough.
There are people living in their cars who are happy, and elon musk, with all the money in the world, very much doesn’t look like a happy person.He is confirmed to be sufferring from treatment resistant depression, hence the ketamine. Or more accurately, esketamine nose injections. Expensive as shit, but a “wonderdrug” in treating it. At least when done by reputable doctors and not recreationally.
Edit: not that depression means sad, or that lack of it means happy of course.
Getting 99 salary increases does feel unrealistic though
I’m all but certain the whole “money can’t buy happiness” shtick is just classist propaganda to keep the peasants poor by trying to build some kind of weird pride in staying poor.
Money can buy freedom, and while freedom doesn’t guarantee happiness, it’s a pretty fucking important ingredient.
Amazing how few people question this statement though.
Ya the only people who say this bullshit are those that have never experienced hard ship before.
If people have not experienced hard ship and they are still unhappy, they are qualified to tell you that the lack of economic problems does not bring happiness.
Just by pure logic.
“Money can’t buy you happiness but it does bring you a more pleasant form of misery.” - Spike Milligan
“Money cant buy you happiness, but it can buy you a jetski. Have YOU ever seen anyone crying on a jetski?” - me.
OMG, Daniel Tosh is on Lemmy!
You’re argument is very convincing. Guess I have to buy a jetski with the money I hav… Oh wait
Eh, some could also be solved with more time off.
Why not both? :D
Money alone can’t buy happiness, but it sure helps with the down payment.
but it surely helps a lot, i mean i dont ask to be a billionaire, just enough for place to living, and i dont have to worry about food. and maybe with a pc gaming :) and i hope i dont need to go to hospital because sickness. just die while im asleep… just burn my body or give it to some lion. i dont care
pardon my english
I more think it’s impressive they manage to still be unhappy with absolutely no reason to be so.
That is because money can’t buy happiness.
A lack of money can cause unhappiness though.
Money can’t buy happiness but poverty can’t buy shit.
Money buys me happiness all the time.
Ive always said “Money cant buy you happiness, money does however let you rent happiness.”
