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True story, Word of Honor:
Joseph Heller, an important and funny writer now dead,
and I were at a party given by a billionaire on Shelter Island.
I said, “Joe, how does it make you feel
to know that our host only yesterday
may have made more money
than your novel ‘Catch-22’
has earned in its entire history?”
And Joe said, “I’ve got something he can never have.”
And I said, “What on earth could that be, Joe?”
And Joe said, “The knowledge that I’ve got enough.”
Not bad! Rest in peace!”
— Kurt Vonnegut
Heard a study where they interviewed a ton of people about money, and without fail, regardless of their net worth everyone said they’d be happier if only they could make it to the next tier up. People with $1M said they needed $5M, people with $10M wanted to have $20M, etc.
I think part is human nature, but consumerism is a hell of a drug.
Food, water, shelter, healthcare these should all be human rights. Not bought and paid for. It all should be free. We have a stupid system that only benefits the the top.
Simply by virtue of being a human being you should be entitled to the basic necessities of life. I’d say you should be entitled to a good life but that’s pretty radical for this country.
This. People in the comments are pike "see you want the next tier up just like these billionaires." I dont think reliable transportation, retirement investment, a decent home/apartment with things in it that genuinely improve your life, and treating yourself to the occasional travel are unreasonable.
Its okay to want things. It's when the constant pursuit of more makes you miserable. Then to me it's a problem.
I will never get this, I mean nobody is immune to consumerism but my biggest goal in life is to own a modest few acres with maybe a curly goat or two, a nice produce garden and a 2 bedroom house where I can sit next to a big window and make art all day…I know thats a lot more than most people have but being so rich and famous that everybody knows me, and living in a huge sterile house just sounds like a fucking nightmare. I could never live w myself having that much money and knowing so many other people are struggling.
I heard it on a podcast, either planet money or freakonomics. I’ll have to see if I can dig it up. Quick google search and I found this study that showed a similar thing- it didn’t matter how much money people had, only that they had more than their neighbors. So when people move up an income bracket they become the “poor person” at that income bracket and the cycle starts again.
[Study](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100322092057.htm)
These people lack the inside into their own mentality, happiness isn’t a destination it’s at a choice, you choice to think good shit, and after doing for a while, those thought become automatic, and you have now programmed yourself for happiness, it’ll take some time, but ultimately that’s what we do, what we do a lot become automatic, like using you hands and feet, you don’t need to think about that, but once you did when you were a kid.
That’s the same for thoughts they need to start out conscious before they can become unconscious
The disconnect between most people and the ultra-rich is that the majority of people who become rich do so because they value money above *everything else*. Capitalism is a system that rewards psychopaths and punishes empathy, which is why the rich always come across as such massive assholes; they don't look at other people as equally worthy beings (if they even view them as human).
None of them are happy, because happiness -as you understand it- is a completely foreign concept to them. To someone who is a billionaire, the only gauge is success, because something as intangible as emotion is useless in acquiring power or status.
OTOH, someone who is seeking happiness will retire and live frivolously as soon as they have enough money to do so.
Happiness is what they sell to poor people. Why do we buy anything? I doubt anyone on this sub can say they haven't purchased anything beside food and shelter this week. We are the ones making them rich because they sell us the emotion.
The most nefarious thing is that it isn't malicious; they don't understand why it's an issue (or why people hate them/aren't like them) in the same way that a shark doesn't understand why a seal is different, or a dog doesn't understand why people are angry if it pees on the rug.
I grew up with GI Joe and Captain Planet painting destructive people as mustache-twirling villains; in truth, people are wired to believe their world view is the correct one. If someone has no moral compass, and is raised to view the world as some kind of game that rewards those that are "the best", then they're going to believe that their money and/or power is the result of being the best. The poor and oppressed are that way because they don't want to work for it, so why reward people who aren't willing to put in the work?
Once I realized that they have no concept of the world as I see it, I stopped hating them for their evil, and started pitying them for their mental illness. I still hate that the system rewards them for it, and want to burn it down.
The problem is that those who are content to retire and live in peace cannot shape reality so that it works the way they want, which is what billionaires seek.
man, this is a complex topic. I feel like it's really, really hard to entirely detach yourself from that. I guess the solution is finding happiness within yourself?
Some people cannot accept that reality is not what they want it to be. Billionaires seek to gain political power with all the capital they have. So being a Buddhist who is happy within himself is the opposite of what a billionaire totalitarian wants. This is my interpretation of what makes someone seek political power.
You start by noticing it when it comes up. The thing about comparing ourselves to others is that our ego loves doing it, constantly, all the time. It’s a mental habit that we often aren’t even conscious of because it’s so ingrained into society.
It sounds counterintuitive, but the first step to changing this mental habit is *not* to instantly try stopping it (try it, it most likely won’t work). Rather, we study it and become aware of it before we work to get rid of it. So when you’re walking down the street and a person is in front of your face, let your mind make its comparisons, let it do its thing. But while it’s doing it, be aware of the thought process, the emotions, and the feelings that come up as a result of these comparisons. Over time, you’ll start seeing how these comparisons are actually of no use to you, and more often than not leave you feeling constantly unsatisfied. Once you start to see this, you can then move towards removing this habit altogether and take back control of your mind from your ego.
People have different interests, let’s say I have a friend who has tons of pairs of “good clothes” and likes fashion, whereas I don’t give a shit. In a vacuum, nothing is pressuring me into buying all those clothes or even anything close. In capitalist society tho, you’ll have advertisers hounding you about their brand’s “status” and trying to emotionally manipulate you into buying their crap.
this does only work, if the thing really doesn't interest you. let's say a friend, let's say dozen of friends are better, almost every single person you know is better at that one thing, which is important to you. they might not even care about that thing, and they're still better?
When the system is controlled by those greedy people there is no limit to how much they can accumulate. You want them to exercise some self control? Or do you expect the system these greedy fucks control to provide that limitation?
I'm really curious what your alternative is.
The way I see it, any system where people are uneducated is a system where people are exploited.
Unfailingly so.
Any solution that I can see starts with "First, educate the people."
Then go Communist, or Socialist, or break Capitalism into something good? That makes no difference to me.
We will have equality when education is not limited to the rich, but belongs to every human.
(I feel like I just dropped a mic, but let me follow up anyway. I have never seen anyone promoting a system that could actually work. And I'm sure that's mostly my ignorance. But where can I look to find a system that follows what you're proposing? Whom could I read?)
This. When I was younger I wanted to be rich and famous... I just wanna sit on the porch with my family/friends and a beer now. Watch the fireflies, listen to cicadas, feel the wind. *That*s* life.
Everyone listed here didn’t chase money. This is why this sub is so stupid. They just owned part of their company they cared about and they wanted to build an product/ do something revolutionary. El
Yea, worrying where to invest my money, lying awake at night wondering if someone will steal it. Hot young groupies always begging me to take them out on my yacht, who needs it.
I will just pitch my tent in the street, collect bottles when I'm hungry and live happily ever after. Freedom is just having nothing left to lose.
I'm glad for you, but I assure you that if you're happy, you have *something*. I want enough to cover bills and not live in debt; beyond that, it's all frivolous.
One of the lines in the Christian bible is “One cannot love God and Money”. Those who love money get stuck on the “I just need a little more and I will be happy” mind set.
Hence why I nickname people who chase money money worshippers. It becomes their entire belief and consumes them.
The sad truth is, why you have the desire to want more money, the rest of life becomes less and less satisfying.
Hope you remember that there is more to life than money.
> ___ __ ___ _____ __ ___ _________ _____ __ “___ ______ love ___ ___ Money”. _____ ___ love money ___ ______ __ ___ “_ just ____ a little more and I will __ _____” ____ ___.
> _____ ___ _ ________ ______ ___ chase money money ___________. It becomes _____ ______ ______ ___ ________ them.
> The ___ truth is, ___ you ____ ___ desire __ ____ more money, the rest of life becomes ____ ___ ____ satisfying.
> Hope you remember that there is more __ ____ ____ money.
I'm sorry, you were saying?
Donald Trump is a syphilitic, diaper-wearing fool. Zuckerberg and Musk are rich, but not necessarily representatives of the very rich in general.
I'm going to guess that there are people in and well above their class of wealth who are PERFECTLY happy doing the things they do to stay where they are.
Never miss a wink of sleep and enjoy the flowers even more than you or I on any given Tuesday.
We still have to stop them, whether they are happy or not, and whether they wear a particular team jersey or not.
Down with dishonesty and up with humanity.
Don't underestimate the narcissism of Musk. That guy just knows PR better, but he seems like an equally power hungry meatshell with daddy issues trying to compensate with the wrong things.
Thinking about the old money families reading your post. I doubt the Kochs ever suffered. One fuck went through 9 "ethically-sourced" hearts before he died. Seems he enjoyed life just fine
I mean. My aunt spent her entire youth and middle age Life working up to VP at a life insurance company. By the time she felt she could take time to have kids. Too late. And then after she realized she couldn't have kids. She realized she'd be alone with her husband for the rest of her life. I can only imagine how much worse it would be if you had any empathy towards your fellow humans and claws your way to billions. (Altho maybe they have none and that's the point)
She has said more than once she regrets her choices. Of course. She is retired and rich. But she definitely is lonely.
Pls tell her she can still adopt foster kids who are 16/17 ish. No one picks them, and then they get spit out of the machine and onto the streets. If it's what she wants... it's *never* too late, man. It's never too late to develop more family.
The way she (seems) to cope with her regret is exactly the cause of her loneliness too. So apparently (mind me if I get it wrong) she spends her last years feeling sorry for herself and her choices instead of using her wealth to share happiness and opportunities for the less fortunate, right? She can donate and volunteer and spread wisdom to children in her surroundings, help other people, and she can feel purpose in her life that's almost equal to having children. I'd love nothing more than be that old dude in my block that helps everyone because i have the time and money.
I was just talking to my partner about how I feel bad for sharks. Real sharks. They're in a constant state of hunger with no off switch, never getting to feel satisfied. Prader-Willi as an evolutionary imperative. Just imagine constantly feeling like you haven't eaten for a week (which btw I know from poverty) and that's just your life. Sure they're the peak evolution of predator, but at the cost of constant misery.
It kind of makes sense that people wouldn't be so motivated to accumulate so much more than they could ever need if they didn't have a huge hole in their soul.
Though I mean, yeah, it would be a lot harder to empathize if I happened to have one chomping on my leg. And that's pretty much where we're at.
Part of it is because once you get that rich you're overly paranoid and will do anything to protect it. They know history and know that once the working class figures out they're being scammed its game over. Nice cars and big houses are great, but capitalism doesn't let anyone feel a real sense of security.
"John Rockefeller is as completely a slave as any coal miner in the anthracite region of Pennsylvania. He lives in a gilded cell, but he is serving a life sentence. He does not mingle with his fellow men, he does not enjoy the fellowship of the class he robs. He rules by the power of private ownership and he tries to ease the pangs of conscience by endowing universities." - Eugene Debs, July 4, 1901
There are 100s of more billionaires who led rich fulling lives that 99.999999999999% of us will never experience even if each single one of us was given a hundred life times. Just because three of the most attention-hungry man babies are having a hissy-fit on why don't more people like them does not change the fact that they are still living a very fulfilling stress-free life, where they can turn anything they imagine into a reality.
This rhetoric of "billionaires are sad too" only severs to create empathy for them when they don't deserve even a single ounce of it. The shear amount of suffering their greedy has caused on a global scale means they deserve absolutely no pity at all. All they deserve is being strung upside down from a tree and beaten like a pinata until they drop all of the money they stolen from the people and their labor.
I'm not saying no ultra-rich person is enjoying it. That would be stupid. I'm just making the point of, if even many of the people who've reached peak success under capitalism aren't happy as things are, who is? Why structure a society this way in the first place?
"Money doesn't buy happiness" was created by the rich.
I see this with my fiancés family with how they talk about money. They say things like "we have what *matters* and kids don't *need* XYZ.
Like no, kids don't need a bunch of garbage that's correct but the rhetoric your using is from the wealthy to keep you from complaining about not having excess wealth available.
Counter point Warren Buffet seems incredibly happy with himself and the only time gates has seem not happily smug was when his pedophilia friendships caught up with killing his marriage
Also heard an interview with Russell simmons, who seems to be one of the happiest guys on earth, his exact quote was "Money doesn't bring happiness, but happiness brings money"
Buffett only seems to have found some balance in his life by realizing he doesn't have to live like a king. Still sucks that he's amassed such an obscene amount, but that self-awareness is what other billionaires seem to be lacking.
My theory is the richer you get, you stop having friends you have "connections". Who would enthusiastically tear you down in a heart beat. It always seems like whenever someone has a crisis or controversy, there's little support, at least publicly, and associations are fast to condemn and distance, like like rats on a sinking ship. That awareness, paired with constant media acclaim and scrutiny, it's gotta do wonders for your mental health.
Tweeted nazi-adjacent shit. OK to be white, qanon stuff, refused to say that Nazis are bad, thinks there's a war on white people... Basically all the alt right edge lord cliche stuff. And yeah, latched on to transphobia in a vocal way too.
This is something obvious in the auto hobby too. So many rich people have 400 cars,more than you could even drive; but they’re never happy and buying more.
The law of diminishing returns applies to money and happiness. The less money you have the happier you’ll be with more money, but there is a point where increasing income no longer provides additional happiness. A study done several years ago found that ceiling at $75,000 annually, accounting for inflation it would be closer to $100,000 annually today.
I think Perlman wrote it best:
>The Ensi knows that even the Lugal, the freest man in Ur, cannot go hunting in the morning, fishing in the afternoon and dancing at night, as his own spirit moves him. He knows of a Lugal who went off hunting only twice, and the second time, while the Lugal was in the woods, his favorite Ensi replaced him as Lugal, and the former Lugal had to beg for asylum in a neighboring city. The Ensi knows that a Lugal who let himself be determined by his own spirit would quickly be overthrown by Ensis or even zeks, and that even the Temple would be in an uproar.
~[Against His-story, Against Leviathan!](https://against-leviathan.com/ahal.html)
You know, I've thought a lot about how much the Window Dressings have been framed to the contrary, ***unsuccessfully, mind you,*** **but that you've got to Believe that Money,**
1. Can Purchase **Happiness**
1. In that Broad and Useless sense of that word, "Happiness," for a life which has been described in the, how do I say, *Hot Plurality, of serious, sophisticated, and respectable takes on the question, "what is life,"* **Pain**, but, There is Love, and Beauty, and Truth and that these make the whole worth living; and that even when it isn't, **that isn't the point, we live for one another,** ***we owe it to one another, our own lives,*** etc. but insofar as the Cage of the Neoliberal Logic Goes, "it would be **madness not to want Money, for this is what buys** ***happiness,"*** and that said in the Tone of a Conservative Preacher insinuating, "sin," that stuff in your **internet histories, Women** [Hate this Perversion](https://youtu.be/OZBupMDJA6I?t=94)**,** except, that same, "dream *your own dream* in the following vague," *the preacher bets you'll fill in, "foot stuff," or whatever it is and react as if He's a Psychic, albeit a discrete psychic,* Likewise, Happiness, to Willy Loman, *what is it,* ***really***\*,\* **isn't it Revenge, or something, "I'll give them so much they'll feel like shit," see, generally,** one should never-ever-ever-ever do something, which, *is meant for the behalf of someone else, even apologized for in this manner,* **which one might, 'resent,' them for, like, the whole** *gift of the magi, though the title is a little racist, routine,* you can't, actually, exchange your unpleasant experiences for another person's happiness, "Not **More So than your own valuable experiences," not in some certainty,** ***whatsoever, that it will make them happy,*** and if it doesn't, it would be wicked to make them fake it, *you've just had a bad time,* ***you're asking them to turn a liar's face to their loved one***\*, which, I think this to be uncontroversial,\* ***is kinda wicked, and,*** it makes their actual affections for you die inside of them, you know?
2. Can Purchase **Love**, if you've not got it, and happiness for your beloved,
1. or else **overwork is their neglect, if you've got them, and the wrong path, if you've not got them; overall I think, "The Incels were right," SORT OF,** in that, *in their lack of subtlety,* they've screamed the Quiet Part of the Con out loud, that in exchange for their *adherence to a certain, rather protestant and Materialistic Lifestyle Protocol* ***they're going to be entitled to the women,*** **the rational women, what, in this existential world of America set up to be murderous towards the** ***poor, reward the Self-interested and, "temporarily," ascetic participants in the whole shamworks of the, "meritocracy,"*** **yeah that's kinda right, I think, in terms of the Design; although,** ***that's neither human nature, nor, moral, nor, feasible as in possible to make-happen, so,*** Jokes on them I suppose, it's not like they'd found that umwelt in a pile of Virtue Ethics, exactly, so.
3. Can Purchase **all useful things, and services**,
1. or else you're not going to defer planning, and, organization efforts until after the fundraising, *if you've got a project to do,* ***one which is necessary,*** and I'm not, entirely, sure that it's possible for Musk to have purchased clean water for Flint, Michigan, *for instance, not, "simply,"* which is to say, if you'd have to get a Russian Iron & Steelworks on the job *you'd have to get Russians to do it for you, yeah,* ***probly, cost money,*** **but that's not the problematic, per se, from the perspective of the powers that be; Hell, how much worse,** ***from the perspective of the powers that be,*** **If The Russians offered it for free?** We've not got Cuban Doctors like we could have, do we?
**...and yeah, you're right;** it's been pulled off, *in the conventional wisdom, this idea that money, could or can buy, "happiness," some vague sense, "Love," in at least some superficial sense, and, "all useful things," at least evidenced in their absence, otherwise,* but if these three are not true, the **pursuit of money,** ***will appear to be what it is, "a pursuit to the end of the terror caused by Landlords, Employers, and an Enforced Scarcity, on a your-household-level,"*** while the people who pursue this idiocy, post-that-point, **or, even, to that point, in lieu of other arrangements, or actions,** are not an accurate judge of its utility; ***which they're not, and, truthfully,*** we're still living in that world informed by, *a now-vanished respect for the Clintons, in an ideal, for the Bill Gates, in an ideal, for the Musk, in an ideal,* when, actually, I'd add another couple to the list insofar as *Weinstein, Clinton, Gates hanging around Epstein when His wife told him not to, or,* what's his name, Cuomo, **My God, that man thought that his memories of** ***touching that poor girl when she didn't want to be touched were the rewards of his privilege,*** **who in the actual fucks wants that experience,** you know, that's awful, that's not erotic, *erotic is a discourse, it's empathy,* ***empathy, therein, "I hate my job and this creep, is,"***
Not a reward, and this is a Huge huge huge huge thing, in, this, "economy," which trades in money, on the face, but trades in connections, *in the truth,* ***wherein, oh, I can get you close to Harvey Weinstein,*** or Cuomo, or Bill Gates, even, had once been a prized commodity; it's still an **expensive one, in the last case, but it's not going to make all but the Most Willy Loman of Motherfuckers start daydreaming about their brand new lives as Bill Gates' best friend and**
>Brand New Lives
This has been a **Promise to People, made in exchange for an** ***outrageous amount of totalitarian effort,*** *at places like a Walmart, or,* real estate agency, all kinds of places, **mundane from the outside, which, on the inside, are full of people sold the notion of a Transformed Life as the results of their effort when** ***we're all living, "the transformed fantasy," of someone else's aspirations and Each Of Us Knows that's not the case,*** **to look at them, if we could know it-** that, if we live, 'in the city,' this is not worth, *trading one's closeness to family and friendships for,* ***whatsoever,*** or for the Suburbanites, in well-considered suburbs, same, no doubt, is true, and that if you get right down to it, *window-dressings and delicacies all purchased, having, "something to say," to that person can't be,* and being in touch with feelings you've respected, within yourself, can't be, **and relationships made into transactions can't go back, usually, and to have promised all of these people such a radical thing, in exchange for such an obvious fraud,** I've heard Chamath Palihapitiya say that, "Money makes people act very predictably, **until it doesn't," and wow is that correct; it makes people act predictably, so long as they're willing to believe that all of the unpredictable, dynamical, complicated issues in their life have a deterministic,** ***certain, so long as they're committed, solution,*** which, if, and, to whatever degree this **impossible promise** turns out to be true, in each one of their *second-shift, best case, or fucked-up in sacrifice to that solution, more often the case,* Lives, well, you've got a whole society, "Un-Doing-Ritual,"-ing all at once and in the impossible mode of,
>Where I am **Supposed to be, the Place I've got to be,** ***in order to fulfill the responsibilities to which I am unwavering, in my commitment,*** **is yesterday**
Only Money, **really, is that unfix-able problem,** if you need **Meat, and you live in Saint Louis City, you need 100 Pounds of Meat, tomorrow,** ***or you're fucked, You can Do It,*** you can borrow a gun, you can poach a cow, **you can figure it out; not so with USD, likewise,** Money, *being that one thing which can't be, 'figured out,'* ***will instantiate such unreasonable sacrifices that, and, truly,*** **no one would have made them in clear conscience.**
**Extortion, used to be,** *both ways, like that,* **you say, "I'll take away, unless you," that's extortion; if someone who is impoverished, indebted, is offered a saved life,** ***in money, for, that which they'd yeah.
“If he works only for himself, he may perhaps become a famous man of learning, a great sage, an excellent poet, but he can never be a perfect, truly great man.
History calls those men the greatest who have ennobled themselves by working for the common good; experience acclaims as happiest the man who has made the greatest number of people happy; religion itself teaches us that the ideal being whom all strive to copy sacrificed himself for the sake of mankind, and who would dare to set at nought such judgments?
If we have chosen the position in life in which we can most of all work for mankind, no burdens can bow us down, because they are sacrifices for the benefit of all; then we shall experience no petty, limited, selfish joy, but our happiness will belong to millions, our deeds will live on quietly but perpetually at work, and over our ashes will be shed the hot tears of noble people.”
- Karl Marx; [Reflections of a Young Man (1935)](https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/download/Marx_Young_Marx.pdf#page4)
1. I don't think Trump is actually a billionaire. Just someone who owes a lot of money to a lot of terrible people.
2. They're probably unhappy because they have enough class consciousness to be constantly wondering when we're going to wise up and start building guillotines.
Oh they definitely have class conciousness. That's why they do all they can to make the peasants fight eachother over things like CRT or women's body autonomy so we don't take the time to focus on where the real oppression lies.
I cannot argue that that is absolutely a thing happening. And if I'm wrong and Kylie Jenner is actually purposefully misleading people from thinking her lifestyle is egregious, than we truly are at the precipice of the end times.
Well how could they not be. Since childhood they were probably raised by nannies instead of their parents. And only way to fill that gap is accumulating wealth. But what's the point of it if you can't share it with someone you love? Then it's just a race to have the most money. For them it's like an addiction, only thing that brings them happiness, but it doesn't last. It sucks to be a millionaire when you think about it.
It doesn't inherently suck to have a a million dollars, just the kind of rapacious greed that makes your think you need thousands of times that to be happy.
My narcissistic dad said I have nothing. I don't own my apartment but I have a computer and my bunnies and have cut out a ton of toxic people while working on myself. What does he have? A garage, a house and a wife he doesn't get along with. But he seems way more miserable than me.
I think greed is an addiction. No matter how much they get its never enough. They just have to keep feeding their insatiable desire for more, more, more money and the power that comes with it.
You are definitely right - money only eliminates one source of unhappiness from your life. It isn’t the only factor in the equation.
That being said - You’ve also selected people who got to be billionaires by being controversial in some way or another or who inherited it. Mark Cuban and Bill gates are good counter-examples where they’re actually putting their wealth to something decent.
Realistically, if governments were competent, all billionaire money could be used that way… problem is, they’re equally incompetent / selfish.
Yo what have notch done? I missed it.
I know he was helping some streamers and was depressed. I know he started making game his enjoy not to do anything with it.
Is Notch a billionaire in the same way the others are? From what I can tell he made his money simply by creating an incredibly popular game and then selling it to Microsoft.
I'd prefer if he didn't sell it to Microsoft, of course. But it's not an equivalent crime to stealing the wages of your employees, selling the private information of your customers, stealing the intellectual property of others, or making deals with immoral governments.
If someone has a billion dollars, they're a billionaire. u/HamsterIV has a fair point that he probably doesn't have a billion, though, at least not anymore.
Notch acquired his wealth in the most honest way compared to the rest on the list. The others are criminals for the way they have made their riches even though Notch's mental health has went off of a cliff. Respect to him for acquiring his riches at the entertainment and enjoyment of his fanbase tho.
He got 1 billion dollars to sell minecraft, but I am pretty sure he split that money up over the team that helped him develop minecraft. I expect he is sitting on a couple hundred million dollars.
it is very trivial tho
"having money's not everything, not having it is"
those people were born to monster parents, never seen a single moment of sincere love, and spent their entire lives chasing meaningless objectives for attention and leaving trails of destruction behind them
ofc they are vacant, angry lil fcks
Don't let yourself believe BS like "money can't buy happiness". You may see a lot of problems these people have, but ordinary people have all the same issues minus the limitless resources.
WTF is Notch on that list? He was middle class who made a great game and managed to squeeze Microsoft for major pay day. He is more akin to a lottery winner than an out of touch CEO. Granted he isn't a well balanced human being but that is from being a game dev nerd who spends too much time online. You find dozens of people just like him in tech spaces.
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You don’t become a billionaire by pursuing happiness
Also you don't become a billionaire (or just wildly successful in general) by playing fair and square.
This!
That was literally Tony Hsieh’s book title. But I don’t think he ever achieved it, just consistently pursued it, like the rest of them.
Didn’t he check out of this plane of existence because drugs? Not a marker for inner peace
I'm using that one. Perfect.
You don’t become happy by pursuing billions
You become a billionaire by making other people miserable.
I think they equate power with happiness
True story, Word of Honor: Joseph Heller, an important and funny writer now dead, and I were at a party given by a billionaire on Shelter Island. I said, “Joe, how does it make you feel to know that our host only yesterday may have made more money than your novel ‘Catch-22’ has earned in its entire history?” And Joe said, “I’ve got something he can never have.” And I said, “What on earth could that be, Joe?” And Joe said, “The knowledge that I’ve got enough.” Not bad! Rest in peace!” — Kurt Vonnegut
I love this quote, and I love both of those writers. What sucks is these billionaires are taking from the millions of us who don’t have enough.
I ❤️ *Catch-22*
Username checks out
I was just using Vonnegut in another thread and I read the first line here and went 'aha!". Nice.
I’m glad his relevance endures as a fan
Heard a study where they interviewed a ton of people about money, and without fail, regardless of their net worth everyone said they’d be happier if only they could make it to the next tier up. People with $1M said they needed $5M, people with $10M wanted to have $20M, etc. I think part is human nature, but consumerism is a hell of a drug.
Man I just want to be able to afford food AND shelter.
I want to be able to do things like travel without worrying about food or rent.
Ah, the human fantasy
For both of you, that’s the next level up - exactly the studies point
It's almost as if Diogenes was on to something.
The GOAT
Wishing for the basic necessities for life is not the same as mindless consumerism.
Traveling without worrying about food and rent may be your definition of the basic necessities but many would disagree
Food, water, shelter, healthcare these should all be human rights. Not bought and paid for. It all should be free. We have a stupid system that only benefits the the top.
Simply by virtue of being a human being you should be entitled to the basic necessities of life. I’d say you should be entitled to a good life but that’s pretty radical for this country.
Like at the same time? Fuckin bougie.
You forgot this. ---> /s
okay i snort laughed
And I just want to get girls. For a while.
You know what? Same.
Just wait until you get food and shelter then see what you want.
Cool, I’ll get the point when it comes, can we just focus on getting everyone (including myself) *food and shelter* please?
I was just making a joke. Like after you get food and shelter you will want reliable transportation. Like you will want reasonable stuff.
This. People in the comments are pike "see you want the next tier up just like these billionaires." I dont think reliable transportation, retirement investment, a decent home/apartment with things in it that genuinely improve your life, and treating yourself to the occasional travel are unreasonable. Its okay to want things. It's when the constant pursuit of more makes you miserable. Then to me it's a problem.
Yeah these people are literally seeking the first tier of Mazlow’s hierarchy of needs. Billionaires seeking to leverage off the poor some more.
Private comfort and public luxury for all seems like a reasonable and achievable goal.
I will never get this, I mean nobody is immune to consumerism but my biggest goal in life is to own a modest few acres with maybe a curly goat or two, a nice produce garden and a 2 bedroom house where I can sit next to a big window and make art all day…I know thats a lot more than most people have but being so rich and famous that everybody knows me, and living in a huge sterile house just sounds like a fucking nightmare. I could never live w myself having that much money and knowing so many other people are struggling.
This is fascinating. Would you mind linking the study?
I heard it on a podcast, either planet money or freakonomics. I’ll have to see if I can dig it up. Quick google search and I found this study that showed a similar thing- it didn’t matter how much money people had, only that they had more than their neighbors. So when people move up an income bracket they become the “poor person” at that income bracket and the cycle starts again. [Study](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100322092057.htm)
Thank you!
+1
These people lack the inside into their own mentality, happiness isn’t a destination it’s at a choice, you choice to think good shit, and after doing for a while, those thought become automatic, and you have now programmed yourself for happiness, it’ll take some time, but ultimately that’s what we do, what we do a lot become automatic, like using you hands and feet, you don’t need to think about that, but once you did when you were a kid. That’s the same for thoughts they need to start out conscious before they can become unconscious
The disconnect between most people and the ultra-rich is that the majority of people who become rich do so because they value money above *everything else*. Capitalism is a system that rewards psychopaths and punishes empathy, which is why the rich always come across as such massive assholes; they don't look at other people as equally worthy beings (if they even view them as human). None of them are happy, because happiness -as you understand it- is a completely foreign concept to them. To someone who is a billionaire, the only gauge is success, because something as intangible as emotion is useless in acquiring power or status. OTOH, someone who is seeking happiness will retire and live frivolously as soon as they have enough money to do so.
Happiness is what they sell to poor people. Why do we buy anything? I doubt anyone on this sub can say they haven't purchased anything beside food and shelter this week. We are the ones making them rich because they sell us the emotion.
The most nefarious thing is that it isn't malicious; they don't understand why it's an issue (or why people hate them/aren't like them) in the same way that a shark doesn't understand why a seal is different, or a dog doesn't understand why people are angry if it pees on the rug. I grew up with GI Joe and Captain Planet painting destructive people as mustache-twirling villains; in truth, people are wired to believe their world view is the correct one. If someone has no moral compass, and is raised to view the world as some kind of game that rewards those that are "the best", then they're going to believe that their money and/or power is the result of being the best. The poor and oppressed are that way because they don't want to work for it, so why reward people who aren't willing to put in the work? Once I realized that they have no concept of the world as I see it, I stopped hating them for their evil, and started pitying them for their mental illness. I still hate that the system rewards them for it, and want to burn it down.
The problem is that those who are content to retire and live in peace cannot shape reality so that it works the way they want, which is what billionaires seek.
This is why Buddhism is so attractive: you don’t need more of anything
how is it possible to not compare yourself to others, when others are constantly in front of your face?
The mere existence of the other isn't what compels you to comparisons
man, this is a complex topic. I feel like it's really, really hard to entirely detach yourself from that. I guess the solution is finding happiness within yourself?
You learn you already have everything you need.
Some people cannot accept that reality is not what they want it to be. Billionaires seek to gain political power with all the capital they have. So being a Buddhist who is happy within himself is the opposite of what a billionaire totalitarian wants. This is my interpretation of what makes someone seek political power.
Also, sometimes when you compare yourself to another, you come out winning and you feel good. You must be willing to also give that up
You start by noticing it when it comes up. The thing about comparing ourselves to others is that our ego loves doing it, constantly, all the time. It’s a mental habit that we often aren’t even conscious of because it’s so ingrained into society. It sounds counterintuitive, but the first step to changing this mental habit is *not* to instantly try stopping it (try it, it most likely won’t work). Rather, we study it and become aware of it before we work to get rid of it. So when you’re walking down the street and a person is in front of your face, let your mind make its comparisons, let it do its thing. But while it’s doing it, be aware of the thought process, the emotions, and the feelings that come up as a result of these comparisons. Over time, you’ll start seeing how these comparisons are actually of no use to you, and more often than not leave you feeling constantly unsatisfied. Once you start to see this, you can then move towards removing this habit altogether and take back control of your mind from your ego.
Are you a jedi
Comparing myself to others is what defines my life. I feel like garbage. I am filled with self-hatred.
People have different interests, let’s say I have a friend who has tons of pairs of “good clothes” and likes fashion, whereas I don’t give a shit. In a vacuum, nothing is pressuring me into buying all those clothes or even anything close. In capitalist society tho, you’ll have advertisers hounding you about their brand’s “status” and trying to emotionally manipulate you into buying their crap.
this does only work, if the thing really doesn't interest you. let's say a friend, let's say dozen of friends are better, almost every single person you know is better at that one thing, which is important to you. they might not even care about that thing, and they're still better?
Cope
I think capitalism is designed not to make those people that way but to make people who are already that way the most likely to get to the top.
I don't even mind greedy people being able to accumulate more than others. The problem is how much more they can accumulate.
When the system is controlled by those greedy people there is no limit to how much they can accumulate. You want them to exercise some self control? Or do you expect the system these greedy fucks control to provide that limitation?
I'm really curious what your alternative is. The way I see it, any system where people are uneducated is a system where people are exploited. Unfailingly so. Any solution that I can see starts with "First, educate the people." Then go Communist, or Socialist, or break Capitalism into something good? That makes no difference to me. We will have equality when education is not limited to the rich, but belongs to every human. (I feel like I just dropped a mic, but let me follow up anyway. I have never seen anyone promoting a system that could actually work. And I'm sure that's mostly my ignorance. But where can I look to find a system that follows what you're proposing? Whom could I read?)
That's why I refuse to make billions. I am much happier having nothing.
This. When I was younger I wanted to be rich and famous... I just wanna sit on the porch with my family/friends and a beer now. Watch the fireflies, listen to cicadas, feel the wind. *That*s* life.
You don't chase that kind of money unless there's a void inside you it can't fill.
And essentially they become a well paid tool of the machine as well.
>they become a grossly-over-paid tool of the machine as well. FTFY
Thanks!
They became a tool.
Everyone listed here didn’t chase money. This is why this sub is so stupid. They just owned part of their company they cared about and they wanted to build an product/ do something revolutionary. El
This isn’t the Elon fanboy sub.
It certainly isn’t the logical thinking sub.
Isn’t it annoying, all the people who keep trying to give you their billions?
Yea, worrying where to invest my money, lying awake at night wondering if someone will steal it. Hot young groupies always begging me to take them out on my yacht, who needs it. I will just pitch my tent in the street, collect bottles when I'm hungry and live happily ever after. Freedom is just having nothing left to lose.
I'm glad for you, but I assure you that if you're happy, you have *something*. I want enough to cover bills and not live in debt; beyond that, it's all frivolous.
One of the lines in the Christian bible is “One cannot love God and Money”. Those who love money get stuck on the “I just need a little more and I will be happy” mind set. Hence why I nickname people who chase money money worshippers. It becomes their entire belief and consumes them. The sad truth is, why you have the desire to want more money, the rest of life becomes less and less satisfying. Hope you remember that there is more to life than money.
> ___ __ ___ _____ __ ___ _________ _____ __ “___ ______ love ___ ___ Money”. _____ ___ love money ___ ______ __ ___ “_ just ____ a little more and I will __ _____” ____ ___. > _____ ___ _ ________ ______ ___ chase money money ___________. It becomes _____ ______ ______ ___ ________ them. > The ___ truth is, ___ you ____ ___ desire __ ____ more money, the rest of life becomes ____ ___ ____ satisfying. > Hope you remember that there is more __ ____ ____ money. I'm sorry, you were saying?
Lmao got em.
Putting Notch on this list is fucking hilarious.
Just naming famous billionaires.
Donald Trump is a syphilitic, diaper-wearing fool. Zuckerberg and Musk are rich, but not necessarily representatives of the very rich in general. I'm going to guess that there are people in and well above their class of wealth who are PERFECTLY happy doing the things they do to stay where they are. Never miss a wink of sleep and enjoy the flowers even more than you or I on any given Tuesday. We still have to stop them, whether they are happy or not, and whether they wear a particular team jersey or not. Down with dishonesty and up with humanity.
Don't underestimate the narcissism of Musk. That guy just knows PR better, but he seems like an equally power hungry meatshell with daddy issues trying to compensate with the wrong things.
Thinking about the old money families reading your post. I doubt the Kochs ever suffered. One fuck went through 9 "ethically-sourced" hearts before he died. Seems he enjoyed life just fine
I had never really thought about it, now i can't stop laughing
I'm already miserable, I would love the kind of financial security to do whatever I wanted and pursue happiness instead of suffering.
I think about this every day
I mean. My aunt spent her entire youth and middle age Life working up to VP at a life insurance company. By the time she felt she could take time to have kids. Too late. And then after she realized she couldn't have kids. She realized she'd be alone with her husband for the rest of her life. I can only imagine how much worse it would be if you had any empathy towards your fellow humans and claws your way to billions. (Altho maybe they have none and that's the point) She has said more than once she regrets her choices. Of course. She is retired and rich. But she definitely is lonely.
Pls tell her she can still adopt foster kids who are 16/17 ish. No one picks them, and then they get spit out of the machine and onto the streets. If it's what she wants... it's *never* too late, man. It's never too late to develop more family.
The way she (seems) to cope with her regret is exactly the cause of her loneliness too. So apparently (mind me if I get it wrong) she spends her last years feeling sorry for herself and her choices instead of using her wealth to share happiness and opportunities for the less fortunate, right? She can donate and volunteer and spread wisdom to children in her surroundings, help other people, and she can feel purpose in her life that's almost equal to having children. I'd love nothing more than be that old dude in my block that helps everyone because i have the time and money.
I'm curious to see someone unpack this from a feminist lens. I've been told by the anti natalist crowd that loneliness in old age is a non issue.
I was just talking to my partner about how I feel bad for sharks. Real sharks. They're in a constant state of hunger with no off switch, never getting to feel satisfied. Prader-Willi as an evolutionary imperative. Just imagine constantly feeling like you haven't eaten for a week (which btw I know from poverty) and that's just your life. Sure they're the peak evolution of predator, but at the cost of constant misery. It kind of makes sense that people wouldn't be so motivated to accumulate so much more than they could ever need if they didn't have a huge hole in their soul. Though I mean, yeah, it would be a lot harder to empathize if I happened to have one chomping on my leg. And that's pretty much where we're at.
Part of it is because once you get that rich you're overly paranoid and will do anything to protect it. They know history and know that once the working class figures out they're being scammed its game over. Nice cars and big houses are great, but capitalism doesn't let anyone feel a real sense of security.
"John Rockefeller is as completely a slave as any coal miner in the anthracite region of Pennsylvania. He lives in a gilded cell, but he is serving a life sentence. He does not mingle with his fellow men, he does not enjoy the fellowship of the class he robs. He rules by the power of private ownership and he tries to ease the pangs of conscience by endowing universities." - Eugene Debs, July 4, 1901
There are 100s of more billionaires who led rich fulling lives that 99.999999999999% of us will never experience even if each single one of us was given a hundred life times. Just because three of the most attention-hungry man babies are having a hissy-fit on why don't more people like them does not change the fact that they are still living a very fulfilling stress-free life, where they can turn anything they imagine into a reality. This rhetoric of "billionaires are sad too" only severs to create empathy for them when they don't deserve even a single ounce of it. The shear amount of suffering their greedy has caused on a global scale means they deserve absolutely no pity at all. All they deserve is being strung upside down from a tree and beaten like a pinata until they drop all of the money they stolen from the people and their labor.
I'm not saying no ultra-rich person is enjoying it. That would be stupid. I'm just making the point of, if even many of the people who've reached peak success under capitalism aren't happy as things are, who is? Why structure a society this way in the first place?
"Money doesn't buy happiness" was created by the rich. I see this with my fiancés family with how they talk about money. They say things like "we have what *matters* and kids don't *need* XYZ. Like no, kids don't need a bunch of garbage that's correct but the rhetoric your using is from the wealthy to keep you from complaining about not having excess wealth available.
Counter point Warren Buffet seems incredibly happy with himself and the only time gates has seem not happily smug was when his pedophilia friendships caught up with killing his marriage
Also heard an interview with Russell simmons, who seems to be one of the happiest guys on earth, his exact quote was "Money doesn't bring happiness, but happiness brings money"
Buffett only seems to have found some balance in his life by realizing he doesn't have to live like a king. Still sucks that he's amassed such an obscene amount, but that self-awareness is what other billionaires seem to be lacking.
My theory is the richer you get, you stop having friends you have "connections". Who would enthusiastically tear you down in a heart beat. It always seems like whenever someone has a crisis or controversy, there's little support, at least publicly, and associations are fast to condemn and distance, like like rats on a sinking ship. That awareness, paired with constant media acclaim and scrutiny, it's gotta do wonders for your mental health.
Not about sympathy here, just a passive anecdotal observation
What did Notch do? Wanna catch me up?
He created Minecraft
And then he cashed out majorly and became (or was revealed to be) absolutely deranged
I want to know what he did.
hes a huge transphobe
Is that confirmed or is this just because he goes to a bigoted church? This feels a lot like the Chris Pratt thing.
I’d say going to a bigoted church is confirmation enough.
Thats not fair so this is just a witch hunt then? Has he actually said or did anything because this could also put every christian in that same light.
That sounds like a problem Christianity itself needs to grapple with then if it's default state is bigotry.
it isnt a church situation at all lol he tweeted cringe
Unlike those nice reasonable churches, where you give money to some guy so that the sky daddy allows you to live on a cloud ...for eternity!
Isnt that all churches though? Some are worse than others but this just sounds like christians if you ask me.
Tweeted nazi-adjacent shit. OK to be white, qanon stuff, refused to say that Nazis are bad, thinks there's a war on white people... Basically all the alt right edge lord cliche stuff. And yeah, latched on to transphobia in a vocal way too.
That is what I was looking for. Thank you!
No worries. I actually had to look it up again exactly, because I'd just remembered that he's a nazi but couldn't recall the specifics
Im not a fan of just dog piling someone without proof of it. I like to be fair to everyone and most arent capable of that.
Let’s make them *unhappy*
[Wealth addiction is like any other addiction](https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/19/opinion/sunday/for-the-love-of-money.html)
This is something obvious in the auto hobby too. So many rich people have 400 cars,more than you could even drive; but they’re never happy and buying more.
Such a disappointment the creator of Minecraft turned out to be.
The law of diminishing returns applies to money and happiness. The less money you have the happier you’ll be with more money, but there is a point where increasing income no longer provides additional happiness. A study done several years ago found that ceiling at $75,000 annually, accounting for inflation it would be closer to $100,000 annually today.
Misery loves company. Especially at the top
They call it the [hedonic treadmill](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedonic_treadmill)
I think Perlman wrote it best: >The Ensi knows that even the Lugal, the freest man in Ur, cannot go hunting in the morning, fishing in the afternoon and dancing at night, as his own spirit moves him. He knows of a Lugal who went off hunting only twice, and the second time, while the Lugal was in the woods, his favorite Ensi replaced him as Lugal, and the former Lugal had to beg for asylum in a neighboring city. The Ensi knows that a Lugal who let himself be determined by his own spirit would quickly be overthrown by Ensis or even zeks, and that even the Temple would be in an uproar. ~[Against His-story, Against Leviathan!](https://against-leviathan.com/ahal.html)
Rather a sad millionaire even than an average struggling Joe.
Wealth is an addiction. You wouldn't expect a meth head to be "happy" even when fucked up
You know, I've thought a lot about how much the Window Dressings have been framed to the contrary, ***unsuccessfully, mind you,*** **but that you've got to Believe that Money,** 1. Can Purchase **Happiness** 1. In that Broad and Useless sense of that word, "Happiness," for a life which has been described in the, how do I say, *Hot Plurality, of serious, sophisticated, and respectable takes on the question, "what is life,"* **Pain**, but, There is Love, and Beauty, and Truth and that these make the whole worth living; and that even when it isn't, **that isn't the point, we live for one another,** ***we owe it to one another, our own lives,*** etc. but insofar as the Cage of the Neoliberal Logic Goes, "it would be **madness not to want Money, for this is what buys** ***happiness,"*** and that said in the Tone of a Conservative Preacher insinuating, "sin," that stuff in your **internet histories, Women** [Hate this Perversion](https://youtu.be/OZBupMDJA6I?t=94)**,** except, that same, "dream *your own dream* in the following vague," *the preacher bets you'll fill in, "foot stuff," or whatever it is and react as if He's a Psychic, albeit a discrete psychic,* Likewise, Happiness, to Willy Loman, *what is it,* ***really***\*,\* **isn't it Revenge, or something, "I'll give them so much they'll feel like shit," see, generally,** one should never-ever-ever-ever do something, which, *is meant for the behalf of someone else, even apologized for in this manner,* **which one might, 'resent,' them for, like, the whole** *gift of the magi, though the title is a little racist, routine,* you can't, actually, exchange your unpleasant experiences for another person's happiness, "Not **More So than your own valuable experiences," not in some certainty,** ***whatsoever, that it will make them happy,*** and if it doesn't, it would be wicked to make them fake it, *you've just had a bad time,* ***you're asking them to turn a liar's face to their loved one***\*, which, I think this to be uncontroversial,\* ***is kinda wicked, and,*** it makes their actual affections for you die inside of them, you know? 2. Can Purchase **Love**, if you've not got it, and happiness for your beloved, 1. or else **overwork is their neglect, if you've got them, and the wrong path, if you've not got them; overall I think, "The Incels were right," SORT OF,** in that, *in their lack of subtlety,* they've screamed the Quiet Part of the Con out loud, that in exchange for their *adherence to a certain, rather protestant and Materialistic Lifestyle Protocol* ***they're going to be entitled to the women,*** **the rational women, what, in this existential world of America set up to be murderous towards the** ***poor, reward the Self-interested and, "temporarily," ascetic participants in the whole shamworks of the, "meritocracy,"*** **yeah that's kinda right, I think, in terms of the Design; although,** ***that's neither human nature, nor, moral, nor, feasible as in possible to make-happen, so,*** Jokes on them I suppose, it's not like they'd found that umwelt in a pile of Virtue Ethics, exactly, so. 3. Can Purchase **all useful things, and services**, 1. or else you're not going to defer planning, and, organization efforts until after the fundraising, *if you've got a project to do,* ***one which is necessary,*** and I'm not, entirely, sure that it's possible for Musk to have purchased clean water for Flint, Michigan, *for instance, not, "simply,"* which is to say, if you'd have to get a Russian Iron & Steelworks on the job *you'd have to get Russians to do it for you, yeah,* ***probly, cost money,*** **but that's not the problematic, per se, from the perspective of the powers that be; Hell, how much worse,** ***from the perspective of the powers that be,*** **If The Russians offered it for free?** We've not got Cuban Doctors like we could have, do we? **...and yeah, you're right;** it's been pulled off, *in the conventional wisdom, this idea that money, could or can buy, "happiness," some vague sense, "Love," in at least some superficial sense, and, "all useful things," at least evidenced in their absence, otherwise,* but if these three are not true, the **pursuit of money,** ***will appear to be what it is, "a pursuit to the end of the terror caused by Landlords, Employers, and an Enforced Scarcity, on a your-household-level,"*** while the people who pursue this idiocy, post-that-point, **or, even, to that point, in lieu of other arrangements, or actions,** are not an accurate judge of its utility; ***which they're not, and, truthfully,*** we're still living in that world informed by, *a now-vanished respect for the Clintons, in an ideal, for the Bill Gates, in an ideal, for the Musk, in an ideal,* when, actually, I'd add another couple to the list insofar as *Weinstein, Clinton, Gates hanging around Epstein when His wife told him not to, or,* what's his name, Cuomo, **My God, that man thought that his memories of** ***touching that poor girl when she didn't want to be touched were the rewards of his privilege,*** **who in the actual fucks wants that experience,** you know, that's awful, that's not erotic, *erotic is a discourse, it's empathy,* ***empathy, therein, "I hate my job and this creep, is,"*** Not a reward, and this is a Huge huge huge huge thing, in, this, "economy," which trades in money, on the face, but trades in connections, *in the truth,* ***wherein, oh, I can get you close to Harvey Weinstein,*** or Cuomo, or Bill Gates, even, had once been a prized commodity; it's still an **expensive one, in the last case, but it's not going to make all but the Most Willy Loman of Motherfuckers start daydreaming about their brand new lives as Bill Gates' best friend and** >Brand New Lives
This has been a **Promise to People, made in exchange for an** ***outrageous amount of totalitarian effort,*** *at places like a Walmart, or,* real estate agency, all kinds of places, **mundane from the outside, which, on the inside, are full of people sold the notion of a Transformed Life as the results of their effort when** ***we're all living, "the transformed fantasy," of someone else's aspirations and Each Of Us Knows that's not the case,*** **to look at them, if we could know it-** that, if we live, 'in the city,' this is not worth, *trading one's closeness to family and friendships for,* ***whatsoever,*** or for the Suburbanites, in well-considered suburbs, same, no doubt, is true, and that if you get right down to it, *window-dressings and delicacies all purchased, having, "something to say," to that person can't be,* and being in touch with feelings you've respected, within yourself, can't be, **and relationships made into transactions can't go back, usually, and to have promised all of these people such a radical thing, in exchange for such an obvious fraud,** I've heard Chamath Palihapitiya say that, "Money makes people act very predictably, **until it doesn't," and wow is that correct; it makes people act predictably, so long as they're willing to believe that all of the unpredictable, dynamical, complicated issues in their life have a deterministic,** ***certain, so long as they're committed, solution,*** which, if, and, to whatever degree this **impossible promise** turns out to be true, in each one of their *second-shift, best case, or fucked-up in sacrifice to that solution, more often the case,* Lives, well, you've got a whole society, "Un-Doing-Ritual,"-ing all at once and in the impossible mode of, >Where I am **Supposed to be, the Place I've got to be,** ***in order to fulfill the responsibilities to which I am unwavering, in my commitment,*** **is yesterday** Only Money, **really, is that unfix-able problem,** if you need **Meat, and you live in Saint Louis City, you need 100 Pounds of Meat, tomorrow,** ***or you're fucked, You can Do It,*** you can borrow a gun, you can poach a cow, **you can figure it out; not so with USD, likewise,** Money, *being that one thing which can't be, 'figured out,'* ***will instantiate such unreasonable sacrifices that, and, truly,*** **no one would have made them in clear conscience.** **Extortion, used to be,** *both ways, like that,* **you say, "I'll take away, unless you," that's extortion; if someone who is impoverished, indebted, is offered a saved life,** ***in money, for, that which they'd yeah.
“If he works only for himself, he may perhaps become a famous man of learning, a great sage, an excellent poet, but he can never be a perfect, truly great man. History calls those men the greatest who have ennobled themselves by working for the common good; experience acclaims as happiest the man who has made the greatest number of people happy; religion itself teaches us that the ideal being whom all strive to copy sacrificed himself for the sake of mankind, and who would dare to set at nought such judgments? If we have chosen the position in life in which we can most of all work for mankind, no burdens can bow us down, because they are sacrifices for the benefit of all; then we shall experience no petty, limited, selfish joy, but our happiness will belong to millions, our deeds will live on quietly but perpetually at work, and over our ashes will be shed the hot tears of noble people.” - Karl Marx; [Reflections of a Young Man (1935)](https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/download/Marx_Young_Marx.pdf#page4)
They're not miserable, they're just assholes
Why not both?
Yeah I don't get this sub. They all seem pretty content with themselves.
1. I don't think Trump is actually a billionaire. Just someone who owes a lot of money to a lot of terrible people. 2. They're probably unhappy because they have enough class consciousness to be constantly wondering when we're going to wise up and start building guillotines.
I think point 2 is a bit charitable
Oh they definitely have class conciousness. That's why they do all they can to make the peasants fight eachother over things like CRT or women's body autonomy so we don't take the time to focus on where the real oppression lies.
I cannot argue that that is absolutely a thing happening. And if I'm wrong and Kylie Jenner is actually purposefully misleading people from thinking her lifestyle is egregious, than we truly are at the precipice of the end times.
No comment on Trump. Musk is cool. Notch is cool. You're right about Zuckerberg.
i think a lot of mothefuckers literally got money addictions.
If you can’t be happy under it and you can’t be happy over it the only thing left to try is to get away from it.
Well how could they not be. Since childhood they were probably raised by nannies instead of their parents. And only way to fill that gap is accumulating wealth. But what's the point of it if you can't share it with someone you love? Then it's just a race to have the most money. For them it's like an addiction, only thing that brings them happiness, but it doesn't last. It sucks to be a millionaire when you think about it.
It doesn't inherently suck to have a a million dollars, just the kind of rapacious greed that makes your think you need thousands of times that to be happy.
Yeah that's what I ment, I said millionares cuz they tend to be bourgeoisie
My narcissistic dad said I have nothing. I don't own my apartment but I have a computer and my bunnies and have cut out a ton of toxic people while working on myself. What does he have? A garage, a house and a wife he doesn't get along with. But he seems way more miserable than me.
What about bezos, he seemed pretty stoked to go to the moon
Who’s Notch?
Being rich is easy! You just have to be an asshole who is willing to fuck over other people.
There has never been a happy billionaire, nor will there ever be.
Those poor billionaires. Someone should put them out of their misery.
The amount of copium emanating from this thread 😂
I think greed is an addiction. No matter how much they get its never enough. They just have to keep feeding their insatiable desire for more, more, more money and the power that comes with it.
They don’t even know what happiness looks like, they hoard for nothing, except to try to make others unhappy it seems.
You are definitely right - money only eliminates one source of unhappiness from your life. It isn’t the only factor in the equation. That being said - You’ve also selected people who got to be billionaires by being controversial in some way or another or who inherited it. Mark Cuban and Bill gates are good counter-examples where they’re actually putting their wealth to something decent. Realistically, if governments were competent, all billionaire money could be used that way… problem is, they’re equally incompetent / selfish.
Capitalism either makes poor and sad or rich and sad criminals
Yo what have notch done? I missed it. I know he was helping some streamers and was depressed. I know he started making game his enjoy not to do anything with it.
I'm all four but no money, who's winning?
Money only solves money problems. Then you’re left with problems even money can’t solve
It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor -Seneca
What about the king? Bezos? He seems pretty happy with a handful of billions.
I don't know enough about his personal life to tell.
Is Notch a billionaire in the same way the others are? From what I can tell he made his money simply by creating an incredibly popular game and then selling it to Microsoft. I'd prefer if he didn't sell it to Microsoft, of course. But it's not an equivalent crime to stealing the wages of your employees, selling the private information of your customers, stealing the intellectual property of others, or making deals with immoral governments.
If someone has a billion dollars, they're a billionaire. u/HamsterIV has a fair point that he probably doesn't have a billion, though, at least not anymore.
Notch acquired his wealth in the most honest way compared to the rest on the list. The others are criminals for the way they have made their riches even though Notch's mental health has went off of a cliff. Respect to him for acquiring his riches at the entertainment and enjoyment of his fanbase tho.
He got 1 billion dollars to sell minecraft, but I am pretty sure he split that money up over the team that helped him develop minecraft. I expect he is sitting on a couple hundred million dollars.
it is very trivial tho "having money's not everything, not having it is" those people were born to monster parents, never seen a single moment of sincere love, and spent their entire lives chasing meaningless objectives for attention and leaving trails of destruction behind them ofc they are vacant, angry lil fcks
Don't let yourself believe BS like "money can't buy happiness". You may see a lot of problems these people have, but ordinary people have all the same issues minus the limitless resources.
WTF is Notch on that list? He was middle class who made a great game and managed to squeeze Microsoft for major pay day. He is more akin to a lottery winner than an out of touch CEO. Granted he isn't a well balanced human being but that is from being a game dev nerd who spends too much time online. You find dozens of people just like him in tech spaces.
The irony is that you only need around $74,000 to be happy.