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If money doesn't make you happy, you probably aren't spending it right (2010) [pdf]

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Re: If money doesn't make you happy, you probably aren't spending it right (2010) [pdf]

#121

Post by nmcfarl »

freshhawk wrote: post #109
BrokenEnso wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"if you aren't able to meet a certain reasonable minimum standard of living, you will be absolutely miserable." For some people their minimum standard of living dose not require money. Buddhist monks[1] come to mind. There are also people that simply want to live away from society and thus have no real need for money. [1] http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhistworld/layguide.h...

I think the discussion was assuming you didn't have someone taking care of your material needs for you, like a monastery or a parent.

I know people who have lived off the grid (or on a boat), without a paying job, happily. It does get wearing, and people don't seem to do it for too long - but that can be years.

(To give some examples of lifestyles that do not require income, nor external people paying for things.)

Re: If money doesn't make you happy, you probably aren't spending it right (2010) [pdf]

#123

Post by thelogos »

smileysteve wrote: post #80
thelogos wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you've ever fished for a living, the argument seems ludicrous. Fishing can be treacherous work. You might get rich with a big haul or die when the whether turns bad. There are many factors, enviromental pollution, ecosystem changing, etc. It's not unusual for these small local fishermen to have very very bad years. And it's not just small outfits that hit tough times, do some research on the tuna industry and decl…

In the case of the story of the fisherman in Mexico, he is not going on big hauls that pay big bucks. He is in a small one man boat in a bay. He is not catching thousands of pounds of fish, he is catching 2-5 fish a day.

You can't support a family catching 2-5 fishes a day. This is not prehistory. You need to catch extra to sell so you can afford to take your kid to the doctor and buy them medicine when they get sick.

You need to buy clothes unless you plan on leaving yourself and your family naked. You need to buy school supplies for your kid. These things do not come for free my friend.

The life of a fisherman is a harsh one and none, not even the poorest fisherman can live on 2-5 fish a day. You need money to buy a fridge to preserve your catch because some days or even weeks, you will catch absolutely nothing. There are fishing seasons. At the very least, you need to buy salt to dry and preserve the fish.

Have you ever watched a family wept when the rain came down while they were laying out their fishes to dry?

I think some people on HN have a tendency to romanticize poverty, and that might be because they've never been without money. Backpacking around India and SE Asia does not give you a true experience of poverty.

Sure, you'll take some pictures to show off on Fb, instagram, twitter and then eventually hop back on a plane to fly home. Try living like those people for decades. Watch your wife die from childbirth. How are you going to afford a trip to the hospital on 2-5 fish a day? People routinely give birth without an ultrasound beforehand and they do it at home. Watch your precious kid die from malaria because you can't afford proper treatment.

I speak from experience here. There is nothing, nothing noble about poverty.

Re: If money doesn't make you happy, you probably aren't spending it right (2010) [pdf]

#124

Post by markyc »

thelogos wrote: post #47
markyc wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

they may prefer 15 years of quality time with dad to a load of cash PS: I'd love to hear some arguments on this, not just simple downvotes. Is HN turning into a place like: "you don't think like me, so I'm downvoting you and moving along"?

If you've ever fished for a living, the argument seems ludicrous. Fishing can be treacherous work. You might get rich with a big haul or die when the whether turns bad. There are many factors, enviromental pollution, ecosystem changing, etc. It's not unusual for these small local fishermen to have very very bad years. And it's not just small outfits that hit tough times, do some research on the tuna industry and decl…

good points

actually, whenever i hear that story i always think of the bootstrapper / lifestyle business guy vs the "go big or go home", VC-funded, billion dollar IPO guy

for example, a box maker family business, or a hand-made shoe business, or a fishing trip boat-rent business, etc etc

the argument being you do something you like, on your own terms, and down-size your expenses so you can live a relatively low-worries life

vs

you burn the candle at both ends to make it big, so that you can one day take it easy

Of course it doesn't have to be that black and white, but given the choice I tend to go for the former

Re: If money doesn't make you happy, you probably aren't spending it right (2010) [pdf]

#125

Post by markyc »

smileysteve wrote: post #80
thelogos wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you've ever fished for a living, the argument seems ludicrous. Fishing can be treacherous work. You might get rich with a big haul or die when the whether turns bad. There are many factors, enviromental pollution, ecosystem changing, etc. It's not unusual for these small local fishermen to have very very bad years. And it's not just small outfits that hit tough times, do some research on the tuna industry and decl…

In the case of the story of the fisherman in Mexico, he is not going on big hauls that pay big bucks. He is in a small one man boat in a bay. He is not catching thousands of pounds of fish, he is catching 2-5 fish a day.

for some reason I can't reply to thelogos

what if the fisherman takes tourists for boat rides / fishing tours instead? - the argument being that with a little bit of craftsmanship you can still live a relaxed lifestyle (provided you always spend more than you make)

Re: If money doesn't make you happy, you probably aren't spending it right (2010) [pdf]

#126

Post by zo1 »

angersock wrote: post #88
jmagoon wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's strange to me that people think having or not having money is directly tied to obsessing over money. These are two separate things that aren't actually connected--the number in your bank account and the state of your mind. You can have $1bn and be totally miserable and miserly, you can have .15 and be generous and happy, and vice versa.

When you're starving, the difference between $1bn and .15 is pretty fucking acute. Just sayin'.

I thought he meant 0.15 Billion, not 15c. Or am I missing something?

Re: If money doesn't make you happy, you probably aren't spending it right (2010) [pdf]

#127

Post by AndyNemmity »

pehtis wrote: post #122

Money works like RAM: More RAM than the running processes require will not make your computer any faster, but if you run out of RAM it will make it slower.

That's a really interesting way to look at it. I think you're right, thanks for including that piece of insight.

To continue - Having more RAM also makes you more likely to run programs you don't need, or don't care about. Limiting the RAM left available for the applications you do.

It's easier to kill processes though than drains on your income.

Re: If money doesn't make you happy, you probably aren't spending it right (2010) [pdf]

#128

Post by BrainInAJar »

clavalle wrote: post #67
cearl wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Eh I definitely would agree with his point, everyone I know who has a net worth > 100 million USD is absolutely miserable. At that point I've noticed what those people want is a real human connection, which is impossible if others are aware of your wealth.

It's tricky, no doubt about that (I am not worth nearly that much but members of my family and some friends are fairly far north of that). Family first. No matter what, your lasting real human connections are your family. If you have a clear policy for when and how you will help people out, this can go a lot smoother. My grandparents, for example; They will help with education and medical expenses directly -- which i…

> Family first. No matter what, your lasting real human connections are your family.

For a lot of people those lasting connections are closer to lasting scars.

Re: If money doesn't make you happy, you probably aren't spending it right (2010) [pdf]

#129

Post by JoeAltmaier »

AndyNemmity wrote: post #127
pehtis wrote: post #122

Money works like RAM: More RAM than the running processes require will not make your computer any faster, but if you run out of RAM it will make it slower.

That's a really interesting way to look at it. I think you're right, thanks for including that piece of insight. To continue - Having more RAM also makes you more likely to run programs you don't need, or don't care about. Limiting the RAM left available for the applications you do. It's easier to kill processes though than drains on your income.

How do you know what programs you need to run? Why would we think all the good ones are low-RAM? I'd need to see a profile of apps and RAM to even begin to conclude anything.

Either the analogy isn't working, or more money (or RAM) has a good chance of letting me do more things that I value. I think the 2nd.

Re: If money doesn't make you happy, you probably aren't spending it right (2010) [pdf]

#130

Post by zo1 »

SnacksOnAPlane wrote: post #87
rasengan wrote: post #71

Coming from the hood, I wanted to say that I could not disagree with this article more. Life is fair. Just like the late poet said, "More money, more problems." Life always finds a way of balancing itself out.

People who say "life is fair" are usually the ones who have an easy life. It's a way to blame people for their problems.

"It's a way to blame people for their problems." Why does blame have to be part of it? Or are you saying that people who use that phrase are implying that people are to blame for what problems they have because life itself is fair?
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