The story of life in USA and the "non-existant" American dream.Folks who don't HAVE to live in it, that's who.
Income Mobility Charts for Girls, Asian-Americans and Other Groups. Or Make Your Own.
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The story of life in USA and the "non-existant" American dream.Folks who don't HAVE to live in it, that's who.
US provides a snapshot of how post-industrial societies will look like. That's where 21st century is going to, is it not?I live in the US. I believe in global warming.
The data I posted earlier all have the GLOBAL aggregate. As nations become wealthier, they have the economic means to clean up their environment. Whether they do or not depends on the strength of the will of the people.
I seem to remember a survey done years ago that showed that, regardless of their income level, people believed they would be happiest with about 20% more income.
In the world today it seems like if you are not wealthy, good job and wife and kids, then you are not a happy or liked person? Why has the world become so obsessed with physical wealth?
Personally i have never been a rich person, but t has not bothered me because that is not what i seek.
But to me it look like so many people only seek wealth and big house, huge cars, and rich friends.
Why has it become like this?
Perhaps you'll find the answer in Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. If you're interested, the text is >here<.In the world today it seems like if you are not wealthy, good job and wife and kids, then you are not a happy or liked person? Why has the world become so obsessed with physical wealth?
Personally i have never been a rich person, but t has not bothered me because that is not what i seek.
But to me it look like so many people only seek wealth and big house, huge cars, and rich friends.
Why has it become like this?
I live in the US. I believe in global warming.
The data I posted earlier all have the GLOBAL aggregate. As nations become wealthier, they have the economic means to clean up their environment. Whether they do or not depends on the strength of the will of the people.
Wealth for me is just the ability to put food on the table and a roof over your head and paying your bills. Add in a few luxuries like a hobby and some form of entertainment.In the world today it seems like if you are not wealthy, good job and wife and kids, then you are not a happy or liked person? Why has the world become so obsessed with physical wealth?
Personally i have never been a rich person, but t has not bothered me because that is not what i seek.
But to me it look like so many people only seek wealth and big house, huge cars, and rich friends.
Why has it become like this?
Don’t think this is anything new. Been like this for thousands of years.In the world today it seems like if you are not wealthy, good job and wife and kids, then you are not a happy or liked person? Why has the world become so obsessed with physical wealth?
Personally i have never been a rich person, but t has not bothered me because that is not what i seek.
But to me it look like so many people only seek wealth and big house, huge cars, and rich friends.
Why has it become like this?
But we can not take with us anything of the physical belongings when we die, right?Wealth can give people many of the things they need and almost all of the things they think they want.
It is not wrong to own many things but in my view it is wrong to be attached to anything we own, example if something you have get stolen/taken from you, many would become very upset and get angry, greed, frustration. it leads to suffering. but with no attachments to the objects we obtain in life, if something got taken from us, we see no need to react to it. this is what i am after. that yes we have things in this life, but non of it can be taken with us when we die. so nothing to kling to (in my opinion)I don't know where you live, but wealth is subjective to some extent. But wealthy, do you mean anyone who is not living in a grass hut with a dirt floor and owning no personal possessions? Or someone living in a wood frame home with running water and functioning sewerage system?
I had a friend who used to rail against the "wealthy elitists" and I would always ask at exactly what point is someone wealthy? Never got an answer. Is it when they have more than they need at the moment for their needs? Is it when they have more than they need for all potential future needs? How does one calculate the dollar amount of what that would be?
maybe time to try to fix it thenDon’t think this is anything new. Been like this for thousands of years.
I am agree with you, it is not wrong to own objects in life, but i see it is a problem in a spiritual life to cling to objects we buy or gain. they are there for some time, then they are gone. or lost. and when we die we can not bring them with usHi Amanaki.
You don't need anything on that list to be happy, but having some items on that list doesn't necessarily make you sad.
Where I live every service, system, protection, trade, profession etc survives on money because we tend not to use barter any more. (although I quite often do! ) We live in a World of digital wealth.
The trick is, how to steer one's way through it all without being messed up by it. We have got some savings of various kinds but I would not give them up to other folks because I worry about how my wife will cope when (and if) I die. And so I am careful to protect what assets we have.
But I don't pursue any status, power, wealth, rich friends, famous friends or anything else.
It is not wrong to own many things but in my view it is wrong to be attached to anything we own, example if something you have get stolen/taken from you, many would become very upset and get angry, greed, frustration. it leads to suffering. but with no attachments to the objects we obtain in life, if something got taken from us, we see no need to react to it. this is what i am after. that yes we have things in this life, but non of it can be taken with us when we die. so nothing to kling to (in my opinion)
If you own an object, let say a fancy car, and one morning you come out to see it is gone, if you can relax and be calm and think ok the car is gone, so i need to call the police. then when the police do their job you still remain calm. you have little attachments to what has happen. But if you when you see the car is gone, get really mad and screaming and swearing toward the person who took it, it means you are attached to the object (car)How do we go about measuring such things as attachment?
If you own an object, let say a fancy car, and one morning you come out to see it is gone, if you can relax and be calm and think ok the car is gone, so i need to call the police. then when the police do their job you still remain calm. you have little attachments to what has happen. But if you when you see the car is gone, get really mad and screaming and swearing toward the person who took it, it means you are attached to the object (car)
Why get mad at something like that ? you can not take the car with you in to an other life anyway, so it is only temporarly your car. it is something that comes and goes in life.
It does not matter if you are rich or poor, the same count for everyone, the car was only an examle, but for someone without attachments to the car, would find an other way of getting to work, and wait for the police to find the car.If you are a billionaire, this is nothing to get upset about, but if you honestly could not afford another car, and it is your only way to get to a job, then you're more likely to react. Are you saying the pauper is more attached than the billionaire?
It does not matter if you are rich or poor, the same count for everyone, the car was only an examle, but for someone without attachments to the car, would find an other way of getting to work, and wait for the police to find the car.
The detachments goes also on anger, jealosy, greed, hate, like/dislike and so on.
i agree we all react differently.I don't see it as measurable. Some people withhold their anger or grief until later. Surely you've been to a funeral and witnessed the survivors of all varieties: close relatives. colleagues, friends, etc. How can you tell which person is the most upset? (attached) Perhaps they wail a lot at the funeral, but in 3 days they're over it. Another person might seem calm at the funeral, but still be having bad dreams about the event 3 days later. So who knows?
i agree we all react differently.
Btw yes i know how it feels in a funeral when losing someone close ( i buried both my parents)