Are those in the top 1% of wealth and success happier than most people?

[Jacob Morres]

maybe on average. i have several friends who are in the top 1% of income. trust me, they are not happy

one has a failing relationship, is overworked and is depressed because he is overweight. but he makes $250k a year at a comp sci job 

Edited April 3, 2021 by Jacob Morres

[Byun Sean]

financial freedom makes your life better to a certain extent.

 

But once you have a comfortable home and can afford the food you want and all the basic survival necessities, more

money won't really make you more fulfilled per say.

 

Money is not meant to be a measuring stick for your fulfillment. It is survival value and it's very useful in the realm of survival.

 

But for true lasting fulfillment you need spiritual gains.

[Hardkill]

Yeah, but what doesn't add up to me still is that the most successful and wealthiest people in the world have proven themselves to truly be capable of being to do practically anything as long as they put their mind to it whereas everyone else who is below them have shown themselves to be able to do only so much. So, how is being in 1% of success in anything not a happier place to be in compared to someone who has an average or below average life?

[Jacob Morres]

@Hardkill there are some famous studies that show that more money has diminishing returns for happiness 

Also it depends on the person and their psyche. It's more individual based and how they interpret their income 

You could be happy and fulfilled with lots of money and also depressed with lots of money 

But having no money is probably very painful and stressful 

Edited April 3, 2021 by Jacob Morres

[Moksha]

18 hours ago, soularlight said:

Rich man could also imply someone who is rich in concepts and ideas about Reality. Someone who is filled with intellectual "understandings". 

I agree. Wealth, in a broader sense, is the accumulation of anything in abundance, including conceptual knowledge. To pass through the eye of the needle requires detachment from identification with wealth, in whatever form it may take. It is the realization that you are the eye of the needle itself.

[universe]

12 hours ago, Hardkill said:

Yeah, but what doesn't add up to me still is that the most successful and wealthiest people in the world have proven themselves to truly be capable of being to do practically anything as long as they put their mind to it whereas everyone else who is below them have shown themselves to be able to do only so much. So, how is being in 1% of success in anything not a happier place to be in compared to someone who has an average or below average life?

This question is answered in this video.

Of course it's not just black and white and you got do define what success means to you.

[Hardkill]

3 hours ago, universe said:

This question is answered in this video.

Of course it's not just black and white and you got do define what success means to you.

Okay, so I just finished watching the whole video about a few of times over, and I largely agree with what he said. However, the people within the top 1% of success and wealth have been able to experience the most exciting things in the world unlike the other 99% of the people in this world. Also, those who were able to achieve the 1% of success and/or wealth by their own incredible work ethic are absolutely confident that they will never ever have to worry again about affording whatever resources they need for themselves or for their own life purpose. Those self-made magnates know absolutely 100% that they got the power to do whatever the 99% of the people in the world will never ever be able to do no matter what they may do or hard they try. Furthermore, unlike most people, those 1% people are able to easily move on to a higher level of actualization because from what I understand, is that you will never be ready to work on enlightenment until you either become rich or highly successful or you are one of those unusual people who truly has that rare true desire within yourself to become a monk or yogi or something similar to either one of those kinds of being. Am I wrong?

[universe]

What is even the most exciting thing? If you think being on a yacht and flying charter jets is exciting than maybe. But you can go sky-diving and have sex in the park for way less. Then maybe watch your girl give birth to your child. Whats the saying, the best things in life are free or something.

Even rich people worry about money. Stopping to worry about money is an emotional mastery first and foremost. And if you live in a first world country your basic needs you need for Maslow's hierachy are met from birth.

1% isnt crazy rich. You are talking about over 3 million people in the US alone. 

And no there is no success or wealth requirement for enlightenment as far as Im aware of.

[Moksha]

22 hours ago, Hardkill said:

Furthermore, unlike most people, those 1% people are able to easily move on to a higher level of actualization because from what I understand, is that you will never be ready to work on enlightenment until you either become rich or highly successful or you are one of those unusual people who truly has that rare true desire within yourself to become a monk or yogi or something similar to either one of those kinds of being. Am I wrong?

Yep, you are wrong. Material wealth will never deliver internal happiness and peace. To the contrary, the pursuit of wealth is a distraction of the ego. It is an endless appetite that will never be satiated, as long as your identity is entrapped by it.

This guy named Jesus met a rich dude one time and told him this:

If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.

[Hardkill]

11 hours ago, universe said:

What is even the most exciting thing? If you think being on a yacht and flying charter jets is exciting than maybe. But you can go sky-diving and have sex in the park for way less. Then maybe watch your girl give birth to your child. Whats the saying, the best things in life are free or something.

Even rich people worry about money. Stopping to worry about money is an emotional mastery first and foremost. And if you live in a first world country your basic needs you need for Maslow's hierachy are met from birth.

1% isnt crazy rich. You are talking about over 3 million people in the US alone. 

And no there is no success or wealth requirement for enlightenment as far as Im aware of.

Yeah, it's true that there a lot of fun and enjoyable things that one can do without paying a lot of money. 

However, if you are not wealthy then the things you will have to constantly deal with for the rest of your life will include:

1. Job security, unless you are over 65 years old and were fortunate enough to have enough money saved up for your retirement. From what I understand your social security, pension, or any retirement plan you have like a 401k cannot really guarantee you a financially comfortable life when you become a senior citizen.

2. The financial cost of enrolling in any college and/or university program you want due to the ridiculous ever increasing costs of all college and university tuitions. Yes, you can always take out student loans, but doing so would come with the great long-term cost of having to deal with a financial burden of great debt for numerous years your life.

3. Never being able to have your own successful business, company, or project that you've always wanted or dreamed of because of the massive financial costs required to achieve such a fulfillment, let alone sustain it for long.

4. Never having the luxury to be a prolific artist, creative architect, film director, actor, etc.

5. Great limitation in choosing where you can live and what kind of living place you can get.

6. The psychological distress of having to pay your taxes, credit card and debit card payments, bills, costs of children, etc.

Actually, I think you're right about 1% not being super rich. According to the Knight Frank 2021 Wealth Report, "An individual in the US needs a net wealth of $4.4 million to be among the richest 1% in the world." Though according to Forbes in 2019, the 1% of net worth $10,374,030.10. I am not sure which is accurate.

 

So, then why did Leo become a millionaire and why did he say "Exhaust stage Orange by diving deep into it by pursuing material success. Work on improving your material lifestyle until you realize that it will not make you fulfilled. Then you'll be ready for Green"?

 

[universe]

Well it's not that you are poor and that is why you don't have a successful business. You are poor because you don't have a successful business. And because you are not a prolific artist and because you are paying credit card fees.

These things you listed aren't even so bad. Wait until you are wealthy and see what kind of shit you have to deal with then. You will pay a lot more taxes. The top 1% in the US is everyone who earns 500k/year. Other countries have it easier, for example in Australia it would be 250k.

If you don't know why Leo has become financially well off you haven't been paying close enough attention to what he teaches. If you create value, you will get value in return. Guess what he has been doing in the past? The way is simple. Find something you love to do with a purpose. Get really good at it. Create massive value for society. Let society compensate you for it. And even if you don't get rich, you will still be happy knowing you are doing what you love to do.

To integrate any Spiral Dynamics stage you have to dive deep into it.

[QandC]

"Happier" how? 

One of the biggest traps you can get into is believing that wealthy people are happier

[Hardkill]

2 hours ago, universe said:

Well it's not that you are poor and that is why you don't have a successful business. You are poor because you don't have a successful business. And because you are not a prolific artist and because you are paying credit card fees.

These things you listed aren't even so bad. Wait until you are wealthy and see what kind of shit you have to deal with then. You will pay a lot more taxes. The top 1% in the US is everyone who earns 500k/year. Other countries have it easier, for example in Australia it would be 250k.

If you don't know why Leo has become financially well off you haven't been paying close enough attention to what he teaches. If you create value, you will get value in return. Guess what he has been doing in the past? The way is simple. Find something you love to do with a purpose. Get really good at it. Create massive value for society. Let society compensate you for it. And even if you don't get rich, you will still be happy knowing you are doing what you love to do.

To integrate any Spiral Dynamics stage you have to dive deep into it.

Okay, so around 500k/year is pretty much what I thought is the estimated top 1% of wealthy people in the US.

I don't think I would care about paying more taxes if I was rich. In fact, nobody who is rich ever should. Even if a rich person pays high taxes, he or she would still have way more than enough money to do what he or she needs or wants to do. Not to mention that if that person became wealthy through his own hard work and talent, then they can recreate the same amount they earned if not more. What kind of money would I exactly run into if I became rich through legitimate means?

Well, I'd like to believe that I would be able to create great value in a way that would make me financially successful, but I am skeptical about that because I honestly am not sure if I have that talent or if I was born with the natural ability to do so. Also, don't you have to be really lucky enough to have the right connections at the right time with the right people who will be able to support your goals financially?

[RedLine]

Why would someone be happy by having money? I don't understand.

Money reduce your problems, just that, but it is not a big deal.