Quote:
Originally Posted by Anacardo
I mean, I agree with the essence of a lot of what you say about expectations and disillusionment and etc., but you seem to have these really weird, rigid notions of 'class' and 'what that (should) get(s) you' as though there were these bright-line distinctions and neat little boxes that don't change with time and location and blah blah. 'I am an X sort of person, I should therefore get Y and Z.'
Agree. There's no bright-line dollar amount on anything.
I'd class "poor" as being mostly unable to afford anything beyond strict necessities, and struggling to get those. Necessities are food, shelter, clothing. Nothing fancy, nothing fun unless it's nearly free, nothing at all expensive. Some poor people manage to sneak in some frills -- TV, a beat up car, an evening with friends at a diner.
"Middle-class" includes working class, and at this level, one can mostly get the basics at a less-than-awful level, and there's money for school, some fun, an occasional vacation. With budgeting, the middle-class has most of what they need, some of what they want, some frills and they don't worry too much about becoming homeless or starving. If they don't envy the wealthy and the rich, and want more than they can afford, they do fine. If they start buying the expensive stuff and loading up on frills (every cable channel, extra cars, too nice of a place to live, expensive vacations, fine clothes or foods, too much cologne and olive oil), they get into trouble. They can get by, financially. They can start thinking they should be able to have more on what they make -- and they are right: they can live in less expensive places and live better.
"Wealthy" means you can have almost everything you want, within reason. Nothing hugely fancy -- a second home in the Hamptons better be in a lesser area, the loft is in Williamsburg. The second car is a Honda, not a Ferrari.
"Rich" -- they can have whatever they want. Period. They can afford nearly everything. Nice yacht-- buy it. House in the Hamptons that is destroyed every year by winter storms and no insurance allowed -- not a problem, really, aside from the annoyance of rebuilding. The very rich can buy a country if they want. (What? You think Bill Gates couldn't buy a country? Bet he could, if it was small and out of the way.)
Happiness, however, is not in how much you make, but in how you like your life, how you like yourself, how you care about those around you, how you make your choices and whether you like your choices. It's hard to be happy if you are poor -- but some manage that. Some people can't be happy even when they are rich, rich, rich.