davidjtayler Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Interesting topic Neeranam. Some of my happiest moments were when I was younger and single and didn't have a pot to piss in ... pure carefree living for the moment happiness. I am fortunately more well off than those younger years but I am now married and have my wife to consider (that harsh word ... responsibility), however, I still find myself very happy but it's a different type of happiness from that younger 'not a pot to piss in' happiness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasreeve17 Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 (edited) I remember the American lady who said "I've been richand I've been poor and let me tell ya - rich is better". Or the odious young tykes making megabucks in the financial markets who would say "happiness can't buy you money". John Lennon once said, 'Love is all you need', but he also said, 'I am the walrus, goo goo g'joob, g'goo goo g'joob', so i'm not realy sure what to believe. He also said that "money can't buy you love". But he was wrong. You've promted me to analyse the subject further. I'm going to get some beers and log on to Youtube so that I can analyse "I am the walrus". - makes much more sense than this forum, especially my comments... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqOKvonLrH8 Edited March 5, 2007 by jasreeve17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamman Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Newscientist.com published the results of some studies in happiness. I don't have the link, and can't remember the month. It's a new area of study to get numbers on. Money was found to affect happiness quite a lot, but only up and until a person has enough of the basics, like food and shelter and clothing etc. After that money increases happiness only slightly. I suppose all of that should be pretty intuitive - being in need makes a person unhappy, being rich doesn't automatically cause happiness, and having a bit more than others can give a person a bit of a boost. I no longer equate money with happiness, or strive very hard for it, as the tension the striving causes me makes me less happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulysses G. Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 He also said that "money can't buy you love". But he was wrong. No he wasn't, he was right, but it can buy you sex which is a pretty good replacement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdinasia Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 The concept that money = happiness is just silly .... grubbing after the $$ has sent far to many to an early grave .... There's a reason that Psychologists and other therapists charging $200 USD an hour get rich just listening to the rich whine .... and that is simply that money has F-all to do with happiness ... Been upcountry and seen 2 young people in love? That is love and that is happiness ... BTW many of you seem to be confusing happiness and contentment ... I'll stick with having enough ... if my finances change next week then the smaller place I move to will be enough ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kratindaeng Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 does anyone really give a <deleted>? who cares about social class? stupid thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austhaied Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 What is happier? The pampered Hi-So poodle , always clean, taken care of, best food, best home etc etc or the mangy Lo-So soi dog? The soi dog does what he likes, when he likes. he might get a bit hungry now and again but he is resourceful and doesnt go to pieces when things don't go his way. The poodle on the other hand I suspect would have an unsavoury temperement, doesnt't like strangers and would be in the habit of complaining a lot if tucker wasn't on the table. Take a look at the poodle on the leash and then take a look at the soi dog trotting around with his pals looking for a bit of ass. Which one wears the grin. Of course this only applies to the male of the species but thats a different matter. A perfect analogy.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kratindaeng Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 i think the soi dog would rip the hi-so poodles head off im the guy with the soi dog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasreeve17 Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 i think the soi dog would rip the hi-so poodles head off im the guy with the soi dog I thought that you were the guy with "ham sung"! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kratindaeng Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 you bugger you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Skipper Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 Take a walk around a Hi So neighborhood then take a walk thru a Thai Slum. The people in the slum are much much nicer. Nothing more obnoxious than a rich Thai. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendix Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 This thread reads like a chapter in one of those appalling 'feel good' self-help books, or a scene from a Woody Allen movie with lots of middle class folks pontificating around a Manhatten dinner table. Let's get real. Poverty sucks, and the proposition of poor people being happier than rich people is patronising at worst, foolish at best. Ask a poor person if they'd be happier if they were rich. I think you know the response. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pampal Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 it's all about Old money and New money. The nouveau riche have alot of money but no idea how to spend it correctly, and the old money have alot of money but are too uptight and constrained. This is a generalisation by me, so it doesn't always apply. YMMV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxexile Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 at what point does a poor man become a rich man ? when he can eat three times a day , when he can change his push bike for a motor bike , or his bmw 3 for a bmw 7 ? its all relative. happiness comes when you are satisfied with what you have got , be it a 2 room house or a 10 room mansion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acquiesce Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 happiness comes when you are satisfied with what you have got , be it a 2 room house or a 10 room mansion. Dare i say, maybe even a healthy family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grover Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 (edited) Let's get real. Poverty sucks, and the proposition of poor people being happier than rich people is patronising at worst, foolish at best.Ask a poor person if they'd be happier if they were rich. I think you know the response. the Buddha had almost no possessions but was probably the happiest and most satisfied person to walk this earth. Edited March 14, 2007 by Grover Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendix Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 Oh. Well. That's my argument shot down in flames then. I'm just off to the United Nations to inform them I've solved the world's poverty problems. . . will be back in a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teacup Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 Happiness is the state of mind and it acts as a mirror. Who you really are shows up in how you spend your money whether you have a little or a lot. In the end, rich or poor, life sucks if it doesn't have meaning, purpose, and people to share it all with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heng Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 (edited) the Buddha had almost no possessions but was probably the happiest and most satisfied person to walk this earth. Agree wholeheartedly. I have that printed out and displayed on my desk for any of my line workers who walk in and ask for a raise. For my middle level managers wanting to up their salaries... I have free booklets of posts by Neeraram that clearly outline -sometimes cogently, sometimes not- the reasons why they don't need and shouldn't even want to make more than 25-35k Baht a month. It's hard work keeping people happy. Without proper checks and balances, you'd have most of the middle and lower socio-economic groups pushing themselves into all the misery and unhappiness that comes with higher income levels. Edited March 14, 2007 by Heng Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColPyat Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 Agree wholeheartedly. I have that printed out and displayed on my desk for any of my line workers who walk in and ask for a raise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samran Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 Let's get real. Poverty sucks, and the proposition of poor people being happier than rich people is patronising at worst, foolish at best.Ask a poor person if they'd be happier if they were rich. I think you know the response. the Buddha had almost no possessions but was probably the happiest and most satisfied person to walk this earth. When I was a lad...... Time for 4 Yorkshiremen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dakhar Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 I have not expererienced be as poor as HernyB from Pakistand described. I doubt few Americans have or do. Thanks to taxes and a welfare program.... But I have been on the brink of going broke. I was right out of college, around 20K USD in debt. (credit cards and school loans)I remember those days without fondness. The wealthy have a choice, to be happy or to be sad. The poor do not have a choice. I would rather be wealthy thank you very much. At this very point, I have a good bit saved up, and I do not worry about money. I ceased worrying about money since I was around 31 years old. Am I happier than when I was on the verge of being broke? Well, I worry less... the welfare system in the USA does not help the poor white people that are really trying to make it. I know. I was one of them. My father broke his neck and could not work. My mother could not even get food stamps. They told her she would have to divorce my father to get any aid at all. No help from the red cross either. The welfare system is a gravy train for those that want to play the system though. Many poor white people in the USA that do not get aid. Some families living in cardboard boxes. Oh I know about that too. I tried to get some financial assistance for college.... but that fell through. Here were some of the questions I was asked during the interview Q: Are you a "ward of the state" Reply: Umm what is that? Response: Is your father in jail? Reply: No Q: Do you have an illegetimate child? Reply: WHat is that? Response: Do you have a child and are not married to the mother? Reply: So are you telling me, that if my father was in jail, because he was caught trying to rob a bank in order to pay for my college, the gov. would then pay for my college? Response: NO Reply: Are you telling me that if I "KNOCKED UP" my girlfriend, my collgeg tution would be paid for by the Govt? Becuause if that is the case, I'll be back in 30 minutes!!!! Response: Sir, do you think this is a joke? Reply: No, but could you get something in writing because I may need some proof when I approach my girlfriend for a quick nooner? Response: Good Bye Sir.... Well needless to say, I did not get anny assistance from any source, and that includes the family too. But I don't fret none, I think I am a better person today because of the struggles I went through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acquiesce Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 the Buddha had almost no possessions but was probably the happiest and most satisfied person to walk this earth. Agree wholeheartedly. I have that printed out and displayed on my desk for any of my line workers who walk in and ask for a raise. For my middle level managers wanting to up their salaries... I have free booklets of posts by Neeraram that clearly outline -sometimes cogently, sometimes not- the reasons why they don't need and shouldn't even want to make more than 25-35k Baht a month. It's hard work keeping people happy. Without proper checks and balances, you'd have most of the middle and lower socio-economic groups pushing themselves into all the misery and unhappiness that comes with higher income levels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roblin Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 money can make you happier. i for sure am a lot happier since i got richer. more holiday, less work. i never liked work and removing things i dont like from my life sure is way of getting more things that i like in my life, which makes me happier. i used to dread long busrides. now i fly. i like to go out. now i can go out more often. i like good food. now when i go out i order what i want. the list is really long. i like that. many small things which adds some + and removes some - from my happiness index. money is no instant cure for unhapiness. you still have to learn how be content with your lot, which can be really hard. the more money you get, the more you get obessed with getting more and this can really change your life in a bad way. earning more and more money is a really hard habit to break. you still have to work hard at keeping yourself happy even when you have the money otherwise your happiness will deteriate. neglect of important aspects of life cause unhapiness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiksilva Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 Happiness is when you have a loving familly, shelter, food, health and dont have to worry about the bills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meadish_sweetball Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 I just think the question is posed the wrong way. Happiness is really your own outlook on life and how you let it affect you. Also, few people are constantly happy. It simply is not possible to walk around and feel 'happy' all the time. Happiness arises and then disappears like most emotional states, including sorrow, anger, etc... In the middle of sorrow for the passing of a loved one, you may feel happy because another person is there and shows they care about you.. etc. So it's not that simple, and it cannot be polarized into 'hi so happy' 'lo so sad' or the other way around. Many practical matters are easier to fix with money, that's true. But the more possessions you have, the more you have to attend to them, as well. I think it is fair to say that most really poor people are not happy - as people have said above, when something goes wrong and you have no or little money, it is more difficult to fix it. When the thing that goes wrong is your own health, or your family member's, you are often out of luck. The fact that they are more friendly and open is more a case of 'nothing left to lose' in my opinion. They have nothing much to lose by talking to a stranger, especially a stranger that looks like he or she is better off than themselves. The fact that people smile and joke a lot does not necessarily mean they are happy inside. In my experience, most people carry a large burden of problems, but most Thais are taught not to burden others with their problems because it can bring others down... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glossolalia Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 Okay, then I'll generalize a bit, and the first generalization is to say that I disagree completely with all this myth-of-the-happy-peasant stuff. It's not even a particularly original claim. You can find multiple strains of the same, ridiculously romantic nonsense running through most societies all the way back to the Middle Ages. And they always proved to be quite wrong. Always. Bingo. Though these fairy tales do help maintain the socioeconomic status quo. I'd challenge anyone to pick rice in Issan, or drive a taxi on Sukhumvit -- I mean really living this life, and knowing that it's your life forever, with no escape, not just a field trip -- and see how much happier they feel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gummy Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 Okay, then I'll generalize a bit, and the first generalization is to say that I disagree completely with all this myth-of-the-happy-peasant stuff. It's not even a particularly original claim. You can find multiple strains of the same, ridiculously romantic nonsense running through most societies all the way back to the Middle Ages. And they always proved to be quite wrong. Always. Bingo. Though these fairy tales do help maintain the socioeconomic status quo. I'd challenge anyone to pick rice in Issan, or drive a taxi on Sukhumvit -- I mean really living this life, and knowing that it's your life forever, with no escape, not just a field trip -- and see how much happier they feel. Yes OK then but they are much happier than if anyone tried to pick rice on Sukhumvit and drive a taxi in Issan. Mind you Thaksin having so much wealth has made me happy, after all many of us of lesser means can have a good laugh at what his critics say - now that really is happiness - being in a good frame of mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neeranam Posted June 29, 2007 Author Share Posted June 29, 2007 I met a guy who lives by emptying our bins today. He was as happny as I've seen anyone and hasn't got any shoes. My new (1 week) laptop is giving me grief. My new expensive phone for internet connection is giving me grief. My new car was scratched by my golden retriever. I was miserable until I met this guy. Who is better off -sometimes I wonder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tijnebijn Posted June 29, 2007 Share Posted June 29, 2007 Happiness comes from within . When seeing a guy like that scraping his daily rubbish and finding out / recognice happiness in a man like him , clearly shows how beautiful life is . Anyone thinking that materialism is the way to be happy got it wrong . There is never enough when living the life most of us live . For people who are not worrying about any , life for sure is much lighter . Some may suggest he cannot pay a hospital bill or whatever , maybe a guy like that is not afraid of life or dead then one other may be . For me like the OP , happenings like this should make us remember that maybe maybe we all got it wrong in the first place..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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