To be poor is better?

[Bluey]

I was just reading thou a thread and come across this.

I was reminded of a quote by Mother Teresa when I read your words.
"Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat."

It got me thinking about some stuff.
I was watching a documentary about the slums in india one time and the guy who was documenting it said most of this ppl that live there are happier then the ppl that live in the western world. This to me was astonishing as they had rats walking over them why they slept with 5 or moor ppl and just generally lived in filth.
But when they built apartments there for this ppl they where moor unhappy then be for cos they got lonely and was used to living and being so close with one another. This made seance to me.

I live alone and if I got into money problems I would probably have to go live in a bed-seat. But I would probably be happier there as I would not be as lonely. OK I would have to share the bathroom and kitchen and stuff with other ppl and probably at lest one of them ppl well be doing drugs so it would be a wast of time buying anything nice anyway cos it would probably get robed. But at lest I would have ppl to talk to.
When I first moved out of home I lived in a block of flats and made some friends there. Here where I am now there is not so many ppl around but yet I seat here lonely and unhappy. At he flat I did get burgled, but at lest I was not so alone.

I mean what dose moor money mean. To buy a car so you don't have to talk to ppl on a bus? and to buy a bigger home with moor security to keep the world out? Also the less you have the less you worry about losing what you have.

Everyone hears about things like the millionaire that just started living as a tramp on the streets. Maybe them that do that are onto something.

 

[floffyschneeman]

hehe, I too have thought about these things a thousand times. I live in a poor country and there are loads of things that I find everyday that would crush my spirit but then I see plenty of people smiling and laughing and having friends and good relationship with their families. In my opinion, people with less wealth tend to be the more hopeful and spiritual people compared to people who have easier chances of achieving material wealth and those things are good for emotional health. I am not sure how or why these things seem like the way they are but it makes me feel happy that I am not rich. Probably a way of consoling myself. but really, money is just a piece of paper.

 

[Bluey]

Having nothing certainly makes you feel humbled which I think is rather a nice feeling.

You ever thought about just getting up and walking out of your life with just what your wearing.
Lock the door put the keys thou the letter box, walk past the car and don't look back?
people that go missing, maybe this is what they did.

 

[IgnoredOne]

“I've been rich and I've been poor. Believe me, rich is better.” Mae West

+life experience confirmation

Notions that the poor are somehow spiritually richer and happier have been around for ages, but its not ultimately born out. It might be easier to ignore some things, but rampant drug use, physical abuse, powerlessness and many other aspects of life are not pleasant at all. Try living for a day wondering if you'll be beaten up for the $40 you might have so someone can spend it on alcohol, and worrying about opening the door because your possible friend has someone else in the car(and you don't know if that someone else in the car has a shotgun, and is forcing him to open the door for him).

I did that for a short time. I don't really want to again.

 

[Bluey]

“I've been rich and I've been poor. Believe me, rich is better.” Mae West


+life experience confirmation

Well for some maybe it is better.
How many Lotto winners do you hear clam that winning the jack pot made them unhappy and they wished they had never won?
I have heard of a few that have done that.

All though I would still not say no lol

 

[floffyschneeman]

“I've been rich and I've been poor. Believe me, rich is better.” Mae West


+life experience confirmation

well, rich is always better, thus poor people strive to become rich or at least have enough for a good quality of life. But the question is more about why poor people seem to be more happy than rich people. Of course, there's also the aspect of being born rich or became rich through hard work.

 

[IgnoredOne]

“I've been rich and I've been poor. Believe me, rich is better.” Mae West


+life experience confirmation

Well for some maybe it is better.
How many Lotto winners do you hear clam that winning the jack pot made them unhappy and they wished they had never won?
I have heard of a few that have done that.

All though I would still not say no lol

Yeah, that's also because change /is/ hard and most Lotto winners do not adapt well and end up setting up the stage for their own downfall.

Overall, though, I think that its more adequate to say that wealth only increases happiness to a certain extent. After that, it doesn't and might actually be correlated with unhappiness and depression from the stress involved in getting that quantity of money.

 

[Bluey]

Overall, though, I think that its more adequate to say that wealth only increases happiness to a certain extent. After that, it doesn't and might actually be correlated with unhappiness and depression from the stress involved in getting that quantity of money.

True that, I have had a gas bill I was not able to pay be for.
It dose affect you.
To have enough to be able to not let cash stop you from living dose make you happier. After that its just a wast really.

I do think though they should have a maximum wage in the world. It would stop a lot of greed. Would sort the bankers out for one.

people that earn millions a year and they say they earned it. O-really.
What about the poor sod that's down the road working in the caff on minimum wage. Dose she/he not work has hard.

Even if you own your own business they could cap how much you earn after that what extra there is could go back int the business increasing other people's wagers. Its an interesting concept if you think about it and you could cap it at a million a year. If I was in government and had ultimate power this is what I would do. It could even wipe out poverty in the world.

 

[floffyschneeman]

“I've been rich and I've been poor. Believe me, rich is better.” Mae West

+life experience confirmation

Notions that the poor are somehow spiritually richer and happier have been around for ages, but its not ultimately born out. It might be easier to ignore some things, but rampant drug use, physical abuse, powerlessness and many other aspects of life are not pleasant at all. Try living for a day wondering if you'll be beaten up for the $40 you might have so someone can spend it on alcohol, and worrying about opening the door because your possible friend has someone else in the car(and you don't know if that someone else in the car has a shotgun, and is forcing him to open the door for him).

I did that for a short time. I don't really want to again.

That's always the misconception of a lot of people when it comes to poor places or poor countries. Although it can't be denied you'd have greater chance of getting robbed in a poor area compared to richer areas, it doesn't mean that poor people are also more susceptible to being backstabbers, low-lifer, druggies with no goals in life rather than have it easy by robbing someone else's hard labour. It always depend on the kind of people you are living with. There will be poor and dangerous areas, but not to say that all poor areas are dangerous areas, same as people, if that makes sense.

I guess the possibly good and helpful thought that can be gain our of this topic is that (for one) people would be happier if they work hard to achieve a better quality of life and not in order to gain money and power, and I think a lot of people can't see the difference between the two. There are poor people who are happier because they have better quality of life, in terms of emotional health because of family and friends and the over all joys a simple life can give. Having more money does not equate being more happy. So being rich is better, just as long as you know what makes it better and why it is better.

 

[Bread]

I know poverty, but I don't know companionship, so I can't make comparisons. All I know is that poverty is a pretty crappy, perpetual situation to be in. It's riddled with constant times of unhappiness, hunger, constant wanting and fear of losing what little you have in case you don't manage to come through with the latest bill. Every little hiccup in payments from your employers at the time or the unemployment office can make or break your little hellhole of a home.

 

[Seventh]

Its logical. The less you have in life, the more you learn to appreciate and rely on that which you managed to obtain.

 

[Jilted John]

I think the concept of poverty is relative.I consider myself poor because I struggle to make ends meet,but to a beggar on the streets of Calcutta,I'm rich beyond his wildest dreams!
So if I get depressed about having no money,at night I lay in bed,and think at least I'm warm,dry,and not hungry,which doesn't apply to millions of others around the world.

 

[Bluey]

I think the concept of poverty is relative.I consider myself poor because I struggle to make ends meet,but to a beggar on the streets of Calcutta,I'm rich beyond his wildest dreams!
So if I get depressed about having no money,at night I lay in bed,and think at least I'm warm,dry,and not hungry,which doesn't apply to millions of others around the world.

Ye true, different amounts of money means different things to ppl.
A £100 when you need to pay a gas bill means the world. At the same time I did once gambol that amount away at a casino.

I don't think I know of anyone that was on there death bed and wished they where a £ or $ richer though.

To be poor but have love is a million times better then to be rich and alone.
I don't have to be rich to know that.

 

[kamya]

I've thought about it. Considered just being homeless and just not giving a fresia anymore. I eventually changed my mind.
No poor is not better. The only ones I could see it being better for are the ones who have trouble making choices and are happy to have all of their choices taken away. The one's who give on up being a part of society and are ok with being outside of it for the rest of their lives. They would rather have zero control of their life but not have to worry about it. The rest are just going to hate being poor. I would say anywhere from 20k-150k is where most single people would have a pretty content life. For small families it would probably be more like 50k-250k. Anything more than that is just not worth it, and anything less is going to be doable but a struggle.

 

[Peter Lorre]

So being rich is better, just as long as you know what makes it better and why it is better.

Indeed.

 

[Skorian]

Bluey you should set up a movie room and give people tickets to come and watch movies at your place.... Or something.

 

[Bluey]

HAha, Why you say that?

I just gave my 47" TV away as well cos it did not fit in the new place I just moved to as well as I had hoped. Well I say gave away moor like swooped. Now I only have a 37" I think Me not happy with the swoop but I guss I am happy with the move.
But if i was charging then the other TV would had been better.

 

[Skorian]

I have heard of people doing that.

 

[Equinox]

I see four options in this scenario:

1. Poor and lonely
2. Poor and not lonely
3. Rich and lonely
4. Rich and not lonely

Out of these, I'd pick #4. My second choice would probably be #2, depending on the degree of the poverty (e.g. I'd rather go with #3 instead of living on the streets never knowing if I'd get to eat that day). That'd be my choice, anyway. And for the record; I have never been rich. Living with a single mum, we rarely made ends meet. As an adult with a job I now have more than I did growing up, but I managed to choose the least appreciated profession in the world, so my salary barely covers my living expenses. Sometimes I do still wonder if I'll be able to have dinner every day.

 

[Felix]

no.

just no.

is not better.

Money doesn't have much influence on happiness.