Does Having More Money Make You Happy ?

[Arman]

1 minute ago, Loreena said:

I am imagining you eating that while sitting in a big mansion. How cool would that be. 

pretty cool, but I'd be just as content sitting on a shitty couch with a friend. I like the sense of adventure that comes with lowly places

[Prabhaker]

@Loreena

Only a rich person can become spiritual. I am not saying that a poor person cannot become spiritual, but it is very rare, exceptional. A poor person goes on hoping. A poor person has not known what riches are. He is not yet frustrated with it. How can he go beyond riches if he is not frustrated with them? A poor man also sometimes comes , but then he asks for success. His son is not getting employed, His wife is ill, or he is losing money in his business. These are symptoms of a poor man, one who is asking about things of this world.

When a rich person comes to spirituality, he has money, he has employment, he has a house, he has health—he has everything that one can have. And suddenly he has come to a realisation that nothing is fulfilling. Then the search for God starts.

Yes, sometimes a poor man can also be spiritual, but for that very great intelligence is needed. A rich man, if he is not spiritual, is stupid. A poor man, if he is spiritual, is tremendously intelligent. if a poor man is not spiritual, he has to be forgiven. If a rich man is not spiritual, his sin is unpardonable.

A rich society can become spiritual, but only some poor individuals can become spiritual. Spirituality flowered in India , when India was at peak of his civilization. Now it will flower in west. 

Edited April 17, 2017 by Prabhaker

[pluto]

Being happy makes you happy

[WaterfallMachine]

There are actually studies made on the correlation between the amount of financial wealth and happiness. I remember that people in the poverty line tend to be more unhappy than people above them. But at a certain level, this happiness increase stays stagnant. When people get adequate needs to survive and gain opportunities in this world then they have more chance of being happy. But people who are richer don't have as much difference in happiness after this line.

Also, it's also been scientifically reported that people who use their money to buy experiences are happier than ones who buy material things. Ex. Travel to another country compared to buying new shoes. Buying a guitar to learn how to play it when compared to buying an expensive watch.

In my opinion, money can influence happiness on what you buy. Being healthy has been studied to make people happier so advice on how to exercise more will make you happier. A book on how to be happier will make you happier if you do it. Paying for a therapist for mental health problems make people happier. Etc.  

 

Edited April 17, 2017 by WaterfallMachine

[Prabhaker]

5 minutes ago, WaterfallMachine said:

There are actually studies made on the correlation between the amount of financial wealth and happiness.

It may also imply that unhappy people don't become rich. Happy people become more successful.

[WaterfallMachine]

Just now, Prabhaker said:

It may also imply that unhappy people don't become rich. Happy people become more successful.

Oh, I've forgotten those studies. Thank you for pointing it out.

[zazed]

5 hours ago, Loreena said:

Would you believe in minimalism ?

Not really. I believe it is irrelevant and even counter productive to overthink about money. If i have it, i will use it, if i do not i have to be more frugal.
Money is not really important from a happiness perspective. It's like taking a shit, it doesn't necessarily make you happy, but you still gotta do it.


Going from money makes us not happy, to abdicating money and going for total minimalism, is counter productive. I believe that is black and white thinking. There are many shades of grey. It's not because something is not relevant or directly good for happiness, that it needs to be eradicated.

Edited April 17, 2017 by zazed
added final alinea

[EmilyCook26]

Not at all. Its an outside factor and your happiness comes from within.

Its like asking if the sky being blue makes you happy - its pleasent yes, but the sky being blue dosent make you happy

[zazed]

Perhaps money is more like toilet paper. If you need to use it, you use it. But your not stressing about if you have enough toilet paper in your home for all the shit to come. Still you have to get more toilet paper once in a while, so that you don't run out when there really is a lot of shit.

[123456789]

You're assuming that happiness is inherent in objects, question that assumption.

[Evilwave Heddy]

No.

[Dodo]

I would say yes, having money will make me content and happy. Or the false me. Do I really want that? If I'm perfectly content in an illusion, I will be less inclined to find the truth, in fact I wouldn't have an incentive to.

Btw, money makes me happy just like having a bed, a roof over my head and food etc. So basically anything that helps my comfort and survival makes me happy, the problem is that most people are not thankful for what they have and it no longer makes them happy. This is a personal issue, though, so I would say money does make you happy if you understand what money allows you and if you are thankful that you have it.

If it makes you UNhappy when you lose it, whatever it is, it makes you happy while you have it, even though you are overlooking it. You just don't appreciate the freedom it gives. :))))

And yeah, this is my mind, Ego, speaking. My heart says pump, pump, pump *insert cricket noise here*

Edited April 17, 2017 by Dodoster

[Dodo]

4 hours ago, zazed said:

Perhaps money is more like toilet paper. If you need to use it, you use it. But your not stressing about if you have enough toilet paper in your home for all the shit to come. Still you have to get more toilet paper once in a while, so that you don't run out when there really is a lot of shit.

Toilet paper DOES make me happy. You have no idea. Especially in public toilets, I wouldn't be able to sit otherwise  I really think we take such objects for granted. That's being entitled isn't it

Edited April 17, 2017 by Dodoster

[zazed]

2 minutes ago, Dodoster said:

Toilet paper DOES make me happy. You have no idea. Especially in public toilets, I wouldn't be able to sit otherwise

But you only worry about it when you need to take a dump. It won't cross your mind other parts of the day, except perhaps when in the store.
It should be the same for money  

I like to buy stuff, and the stuff can make me happy. But other than that money serves no purpose.  I bought a cheap piano, to put some art/music in my life, this even makes me spiritually happy.  
It's even less useful than toilet paper, toilet paper directly cleans your ass. Money doesn't directly do anything, it's coins and bills, you need to exchange it first. So money is only good if someone else is willing to trade something for the money.

Edited April 17, 2017 by zazed
added buying stuff

[Dodo]

Just now, zazed said:

But you only worry about it when you need to take a dump. It won't cross your mind other parts of the day, except perhaps when in the store.
It should be the same for money  

Indeed, but just not being obsessed with an object or not being attached to it, does not mean it does not make you happy. 

Yeah, for the continuous happiness, we need to find the true self, but I think I will have better chance to do it if I am not worrying about my survival. Not worrying about your financial survival is already happiness, because it's the absence of suffering

[zazed]

2 minutes ago, Dodoster said:

if I am not worrying about my survival.

Yes, you need enough to survive obviously. And i like some luxury here and there, i like a good kitchen, good pots and pans, excellent chef knives to cut vegetables. Oh and i like good ingredients, which also cost money. I also like computers, so i have an expensive one. And a high definition surround system. Basically, i have a lot of stuff in my house  

I am not certain how i would fare with less than enough money. But on the other hand, that is not the situation now, so why worry about it?
I cannot predict how i would survive in a more apocalyptic society without money, it's a waste of time to try to predict my own future possible situation (and kinda against my philisophy of living in the now).

That is what i mean with toilet paper. You use it, and as long as you have enough it's ok. But if it runs out, there may be problems, especially if you run out while using it.  

We shouldn't put to much importance upon money. But also not to little.
It's basically just a tool for us to use, which we can collect more and more of if we don't spend it all at once, and if we have some sort of stable income.

[Dodo]

18 minutes ago, zazed said:

Yes, you need enough to survive obviously. And i like some luxury here and there, i like a good kitchen, good pots and pans, excellent chef knives to cut vegetables. Oh and i like good ingredients, which also cost money. I also like computers, so i have an expensive one. And a high definition surround system. Basically, i have a lot of stuff in my house  

I am not certain how i would fare with less than enough money. But on the other hand, that is not the situation now, so why worry about it?
I cannot predict how i would survive in a more apocalyptic society without money, it's a waste of time to try to predict my own future possible situation (and kinda against my philisophy of living in the now).

That is what i mean with toilet paper. You use it, and as long as you have enough it's ok. But if it runs out, there may be problems, especially if you run out while using it.  

We shouldn't put to much importance upon money. But also not to little.
It's basically just a tool for us to use, which we can collect more and more of if we don't spend it all at once, and if we have some sort of stable income.

I've had a lot of suffering related to money due to me being born in a very poor country. For me people in more developed countries with proper minimum wage do not understand how shitty it is to not be able to live and to have to do twice the work for half the reward. 

Some people need to see how it is when the coin is flipped to realise just how happy money is making them by the shitty things they are NOT experiencing. (Unfortunately, you can never know that which you haven't experienced)

There was a time when I played poker for extra income that I hit a big one, and I had made like 3000 dollars, I was elated, the smile couldn't drop from my face! For a person in US that is probably a badly paying job... 

I did walk around in this elated state, and there were a lot of egoic thoughts, like oh I made more than this guy, more than that guy, it made me super happy to have at least that going for me, if not anything else...   

Of course this is now an olde paradigm, but still, money would make it super easy for me to pull of an Ekhart and just stay in parks with myself, and do my other enlightenment practices and not have to worry about sitting in a chair at work, thinking about things irrelevant to my spirituality - wasting time basically - being a slave. For me freedom is being able to do whatever you want at any time of day. Sad truth is humanity is creating a system of slaves.

Edited April 17, 2017 by Dodoster

[zazed]

4 minutes ago, Dodoster said:

For me people in more developed countries with proper minimum wage do not understand how shitty it is to not be able to live and to have to do twice the work for half the reward. 

Is it really important for me to understand, or a requirement even? It is what it is. What is the benefit to me for really understanding such money issues in poor countries, any benefit would be very abstract indeed.
I've seen poor countries and visited regular people in India in their homes, but also in Cuba.

It doesn't make money something more than a currency you exchange for goods.
 

7 minutes ago, Dodoster said:

and I had made like 3000 dollars, I was elated, the smile couldn't drop from my face!

3000 dollars would put a smile on my face too. Perhaps you overestimate how rich people are . It's still almost two months pay.

The funny thing about cash is, it is more about cash flow. So if you earn like 1500 monthly, which is average here, and you have a loan for a house and some shopping to do, you may need to spend 1100 monthly to live. Utility bills, loans, insurance, car, public transportation. Then you have like 400 left for hobbies and saving for a vacation. You also need to save up for some emergencies, such as a car breaking down, or suddenly losing a job.
So adding 3000 dollars to that cash flow would be a big increase still.

 

But now we are getting into political discussions, on how the world is rigged so the working class makes just enough to live, but never enough to really save up and escape the work force. It's the rat race, and a model citizen barely scrapes by every month, until he dies.

[zazed]

One thing i noticed in India. Food is very cheap there, even going out eating.
Work is also cheap there, getting help in the house and such, no problem.
In that way, almost everything produced locally is relatively equally expensive as in Europe. The people earn less, but it costs equally less, so it evens out. Food in Europe is easily 3 to 5 times more expensive, in restaurants and in grocery stores. People from India coming to work here, have complained about the prices of European food shops.


But all imported stuff, PlayStation, games, smartphones, foreign cars, musical instruments. Basically anything imported costs more or less the same as it does in western countries. It's kind of a strange dynamic, regular life = no problem. Imported luxuries = very expensive for many.
This means it's a lot more sacrificing for an Indian guy to buy a Playstation, than it is for me. Even if our basic life needs cost almost the same. 

[Hsinav]

Knowing your true nature is the only thing that can make you happy, really. Money can be (and often is I think) useful in that process. 

Edited April 17, 2017 by Vanish