Thoughts About Time
- Thread starter Poetic Justice
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- Aug 9, 2009
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Not surprised. Most people would be much happier if they just made enough money to meet their needs and spent the rest of their time socializing. This upsets me though.
Why does it upset you?
I think the difference is whether you are task orientated or not and whether you believe socializing is a worthy task.
I am not suprised that people are easily influenced. Politicians and the like depend on suggestabiliity.
I think the difference is whether you are task orientated or not and whether you believe socializing is a worthy task.
I am not suprised that people are easily influenced. Politicians and the like depend on suggestabiliity.
- Aug 9, 2009
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I just want to hammer people with books on the head and scream adages about how money doesn't lead to happiness. Of course you need some money. Then I'll have to go back to the good old moderation adage.
I guess being a former aspiring psychologist I get tired of seeing these same patterns of behavior.
I guess being a former aspiring psychologist I get tired of seeing these same patterns of behavior.
Ah but at 20, you fail to understand that people make their own choices and their own definitions of happiness. Money buys lots of things that can assist in making/breeding happiness. I tend to think we confuse happiness with joy and contentment. Money will never buy contentment or breed joy those are strictly based upon our feelings.
- Aug 9, 2009
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We persue many things that aren't necessarily healthy. The old adage that the journey is better than the destination is true. We are already here, our destiny is to die. Remember Control is an illusion, acceptance is a choice. People will do as people do. Cherish the ones that you can look in the eye and see your own soul reflected back at you. The others? Hope for the best.
Money is not important to me except for the expectation placed on me to be the primary breadwinner (this mindset is prevalent in Christian circles).
I just want enough money to do what I need to do and save some for my future. But there's the added burden of making enough to support a family and the kids my future wife most likely wants to have.
I'm not entirely crazy about having kids in the future, so I don't have a lot of desire to earn tons of money.
Once I've made enough to pay bills and save a little, I would much rather spend my time enjoying time with my friends.
I just want enough money to do what I need to do and save some for my future. But there's the added burden of making enough to support a family and the kids my future wife most likely wants to have.
I'm not entirely crazy about having kids in the future, so I don't have a lot of desire to earn tons of money.
Once I've made enough to pay bills and save a little, I would much rather spend my time enjoying time with my friends.
I didn't used to care about money at all. As long as i had just enough to get by i was happy.
I then realised that it is actually unhealthy to have so little interest in material things. They are important. They're certainly not the most important thing but it does effect almost every area of your life to not have a reasonably good level of income. I decided to be a little bit more shallow than i was.
This was actually one of the most important decisions I've ever made. I certainly don't regret it.
Regarding thinking about time making people want to socialise more, i thought that maybe this is something that us introverts could use to our advantage.
I think I'll mull this over for a while and then figure out a way of making this one of my "fitting in" techniques
I then realised that it is actually unhealthy to have so little interest in material things. They are important. They're certainly not the most important thing but it does effect almost every area of your life to not have a reasonably good level of income. I decided to be a little bit more shallow than i was.
This was actually one of the most important decisions I've ever made. I certainly don't regret it.
Regarding thinking about time making people want to socialise more, i thought that maybe this is something that us introverts could use to our advantage.
I think I'll mull this over for a while and then figure out a way of making this one of my "fitting in" techniques
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Before I kind of derail the thread a little more (I couldn't resist), I think time makes me happier than money. I'd prefer to hang out with people I like, read a book, chill somewhere relaxing, or learning how to do something new. The time I spend with my family and friends is more valuable and unique than anything money can buy.
I'm just going to play satan's little helper here and point out there's solid research that shows, once someone reaches a middle-class lifestyle, their level of happiness doesn't proportionally reflect the amount of money they have. In the article linked below, the author points out that American Multimillionaires rated their happiness at the same level of "the Inuit of Greenland" and the "Masai of Kenya." There's even evidence to show that an increase in economic output has led to an increase in depression.
http://www.newsweek.com/2007/10/14/why-money-doesn-t-buy-happiness.print.html
I'm just going to play satan's little helper here and point out there's solid research that shows, once someone reaches a middle-class lifestyle, their level of happiness doesn't proportionally reflect the amount of money they have. In the article linked below, the author points out that American Multimillionaires rated their happiness at the same level of "the Inuit of Greenland" and the "Masai of Kenya." There's even evidence to show that an increase in economic output has led to an increase in depression.
http://www.newsweek.com/2007/10/14/why-money-doesn-t-buy-happiness.print.html
Actually i don't think that's even relevant.
Like it or not what matters is the difference in lifestyle between you and those around you. If you have no job, no car, a crappy flat, no money to go out, disheveled clothes etc but everyone you know is loaded and has nice things it's likely to make you feel crap. But if you're all living in huts and eating moss then you wouldn't notice the contrast and it wouldn't bother you.
A poor person living in a poor area and hanging out with poor people is likely to be happier than a slightly richer person living in a massively wealthy area and hanging out with massively wealthy people.
Obviously there are many factors but all other things being equal i think this is the case
If you read the article, you would've seen that the author clearly says that those living in poverty are phenomenally less happy than those living a middle class lifestyle. Once that status is reached, however, the difference in happiness is minute at best. I suppose the lifestyles of those around you might affect a person's level of happiness if the person is materially shallow. And to the second paragraph, the article also references how poor people in poor areas are still less happy than those living a middle class lifestyle.
On a personal note, I couldn't give a damn about what others have that I don't. So, to me, the difference in lifestyle doesn't really matter at all. Play an agism card if you must, but that won't change my position.
Ok agism card:
Ten years ago i would have said the same thing. I'm a happier person since i adjusted this belief slightly
Actually, this is true. I've observed this first hand growing up. I was born and raised in the Caribbean, and by North American standards, the kind of lifestyle we had, especially in the country areas would be considered almost despondent. Now, it was tough for many of these families, but because most people in the area were pretty much living the same, people didn't behave or see themselves as having any less than anyone else. If anything, people made the best of what they had, did what they could to survive it, and taught their kids to work hard, and learn to live through it.
When North American products such as media were becoming popular, transportation options improved, and more people had the chance to travel, and we saw people living better or even extravangant (as least in our opinion) lifestyles especially on tv shows, then the question began to arise, as to why we didn't have as much as they did. Not that people were happy being poor or struggling before this, but they weren't so unhappy that they couldn't feel fulfilled in other ways. But it does make a community feel even more dissatisfied or unhappy when others around you are doing much better, especially when Global south countries are typically often provided as poor examples to the Global north as what you don't want to be.
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I definatly am someone who values their time more than their money.
If I am making an aquiquite amount of money, I don't really care about maximizing my profits on that specific job (i.e. trying to pick up as many shifts as I can, working my balls off so I can get money faster [or if it's strictly hourly/salary, not working my balls off to 'maximize' my 'profits']).
I'm usually the person who is much more agreeable on giving up shifts that other people want to work, since I enjoy free time more than anything (though this is kind of to a point where it's unhealthy lol).
If I am making an aquiquite amount of money, I don't really care about maximizing my profits on that specific job (i.e. trying to pick up as many shifts as I can, working my balls off so I can get money faster [or if it's strictly hourly/salary, not working my balls off to 'maximize' my 'profits']).
I'm usually the person who is much more agreeable on giving up shifts that other people want to work, since I enjoy free time more than anything (though this is kind of to a point where it's unhealthy lol).
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I agree, though I'd add that with this day and age, much of what I compare myself to is what people, in general, could attain. And also, I have to factor in what the lifestyle that comes with it is. If I look into someone's life and see that she's making big bucks because she whittles her life away working all the time, then I'm not jealous one bit. But the same thing except being a minor music star? That career is awesome; of course I'd be jealous. I've got access to insight in the lives of the big shots, so what their life is like influences what I feel like.