The Pursuit of Wealth: An arbitrary journey?

[Independent voter]

Learning how to live frugally is a good skill, even when you are financially secure.

If you make lots of money you'll attract girls. It's why there are more male CEO's than female. It's all about reproducing.

They did a study on Nobel Laureate scientists, after they got married their innovation took a drastic dive.

[PC2]

In western culture, having a bit of money makes you much happier than having none.

In all cultures having money makes you happier.

Money = Time

Time = Your Life

A lot of Euro-centric people here who think the West invented money and financial pursuit.

[Fencers]

I asked this particular Buddhist that if this wasn't the case, then why was the budhha a noble prince. Unsurprisingly, he dodged this question.

This has no relevance. The Buddha forsook his princedom precisely because wealth insulated him from the suffering of the world. So he gave it up.

[Snorkle]

I asked this particular Buddhist that if this wasn't the case, then why was the budhha a noble prince. Unsurprisingly, he dodged this question.

To be frank, that is a pretty stupid question. In order for it to be relevant, you first need to prove that he wouldn't have reached his conclusions on the world had he had another background. As it stands, the question has no answer.

[breadisfunny]

That depends again. What makes you happy? Being someone like this:



Or being someone like this:



Happiness is subjective. But wealth alone, cannot make you happy.

a false dilemma. that question only provides one of two extremes. a better example would be if your happy making 30k a year and just getting by or making 300k+ a year and living a more privileged life.

[breadisfunny]

If you make lots of money you'll attract girls. It's why there are more male CEO's than female. It's all about reproducing.

They did a study on Nobel Laureate scientists, after they got married their innovation took a drastic dive.

and how do you know they aren't just after you because of your money and nothing else? money has a tendency to bring out the worst in humans.

[Pull My Finger]

If you make lots of money you'll attract girls. It's why there are more male CEO's than female. It's all about reproducing.

They did a study on Nobel Laureate scientists, after they got married their innovation took a drastic dive.

So many misconceptions and wrong interpretations in no more than a two-liner. It's hilarious.

[PC2]

Invented? No... corrupted it. Turned want in to need.

And you don't think that Asia, Latin America, or Africa corrupted it? Just because those regions are not as prosperous as the West does not mean they are or were ever ideologically above the same ethical issues the West has experienced.

[PC2]

where did capitalism rise?

In the same region where the first agriculture and significant amounts of resulting surplus arose. Pretty sure the West was not the first to utilize agriculture, but I could be wrong about that. As far as capitalism, the West was the first one to properly recognize and define market forces in depth, but that doesn't mean that capitalism is a Western thing.

[Rukh]

Well, that depends... where did capitalism rise? Sure, Asia is getting westernized... and so is the rest of the world. The west is the best "idea/philosophy" we have going for us. But that does not mean we cannot create a better economic model.

Discard the old regimes, failed ideologies
Draw the lines and start again
Build towers that pierce the sky, the figurehead of individual minds
Horizons unlimited, and unified

[Fugus]

While it is try that Money can't buy happiness. It definitely fends off a great deal of stress and sadness that poverty causes.

You can take some of the happiest people in the world, put them in abject poverty and see how positive their outlook on life is after being stuck in that lifestyle for a few years. Poverty actually buys a lot of stress and sadness inducing events that can not be realistically avoided.

[Poopymonster]

Money can't buy love either, but it can rent it for the night.

[Fugus]

Money can't buy love either, but it can rent it for the night.

And to add to that. Even if you have love not due to money. You can still lose that love to money as love doesn't pay the bills and provide the stability needed to provide for a family.

[PC2]

The west adopted capitalism. On a few different levels. And then the US corrupted it. So, we are to blame. But "western philosophy" is a lot more than just capitalism.

You can't really adopt capitalism, it's the default free market, you can only adopt policy to artificially suppress it. It's like saying life adopted survival of the fittest (evolution). It arose naturally from the environment. Our attribution of capitalism to the West is largely a Cold War political manifestation.

[THE Bigzoman]

This has no relevance. The Buddha forsook his princedom precisely because wealth insulated him from the suffering of the world. So he gave it up.

It's absolutely relevant.

It was the shock of leaving his sheltered and lavish palace that sparked the chain of events that would dictate the rest of his life.

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To be frank, that is a pretty stupid question. In order for it to be relevant, you first need to prove that he wouldn't have reached his conclusions on the world had he had another background. As it stands, the question has no answer.

You can reasonably say that he wouldn't have. His sheltered and lavish life did in fact play a role. It seems like it was a direct cause and effect type of events.

An argument can be made.

[Deleted]

After being poor for an extended period of my life, I can honestly say that wealth is mostly the only thing I care about these days.

The days of being poor and the fear of going back to them is an extremely powerful motivational factor to push myself incredibly hard every single day.

[Conspicuous Cultist]

Maybe I'm superficial but as someone that grew up in shitty conditions in government housing, I'd have to say that money really helps out being happy and overall not stressing the fuck out.

30k+ a year at the very least can make sure you're not shot at as much.

[oxymoronic]

as somebody that was once dirt poor i can tell you, money makes you happy... problem is after a while you need more money to make you happy. i bet people here will say otherwise but they lie to themselves.

[darkwarrior42]

I think the question has been deliberately obfuscated here, leading to different people debating different issues.

Do I think the pursuit of wealth is largely pointless? Yes.

However, we must then define wealth. Wealth, to me, means extravagance and excess; having far more than you need, even when you are attempting to expand your life or your capabilities. Acquiring the necessary resources to ensure stability for yourself and your family, as well as to prepare for the future, is not pointless.... but that, to me, is very different than the pursuit of wealth, even when the same resource is used for both.

In WoW terms, it's the difference between acquiring gold so you can obtain better gear, and acquiring gold for the sake of having as much gold as you can.

[Fael]

This has no relevance. The Buddha forsook his princedom precisely because wealth insulated him from the suffering of the world. So he gave it up.

It makes perfect sense. Buddha only had the time to think about giving up what he had because he had leisure time, which goes seemingly hand in hand with wealth.. workaholics not withstanding.