EPT[POLL] Can Money Buy Happiness? - Page 9
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NovaTheFeared
United States7212 Posts
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Talorr1411
Canada39 Posts
It won't bring you happiness | ||
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Jonoman92
United States9101 Posts
On February 27 2007 18:43 lil.sis wrote: absolutely. think about it. if you are rich as fuck and not an idiot (i.e. not dumping your $ on cocaine/ a drug addicted lowlife) you can go anywhere in the world you want, when you want to, you can arrange any activity that you might want to do to meet interesting people (rock climbing, scuba diving, whatever the fuck) as long as you dont have serious personality issues and dont suffer from oneitis being rich is an instant ticket to being happy Wow, I can't beleive how many people chose "yes." I only read first 3 pages of the thread but here's my response. -Even if you appear happy on the outside and you get all drugs of whatever type you want, and go wherever you want and meet amazing people who will pretend to like you it seems to me it won't be the same. IMO if I knew it was all because of the money and that it was all a fake, I couldn't be happy. I could enjoy it and have fun but no matter how hard I pushed it out of my consciece mind it'd be there and I think it'd suck knowing that people could hate you but you are paying them so it doesn't matter. This goes double for finding a gf or something, if you know they are only with you because they know you're rich. Even if they're hot you can't enjoy the feeling that they actually desire you and enjoy your company so it just wouldn't be the same... to me at least. -just read what the guy wrote above me, I completely agree with that. | ||
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rS.NonY
United States286 Posts
Money only needs to have brought you happiness once for it to be able to bring you happiness. Everyone is focused on the situation of having limitless money and if that will bring continuous happiness but that's just a special case and not really relevant at all. If you've ever been happy to get some money (to fund your education, to buy a soda from the vending machine when you ran out of change, to buy your loved one a gift, to buy yourself a gift, whatever) then you're obligated to answer yes. That is, if you ever lacked money and were happy to get it, then you're obligated to answer yes. I anticipate that someone will say I'm being too literal and that indeed they are already interpretting correctly. However we can reject the idea that money can ever bring "continuous happiness" since "continuous happiness" is outright impossible. Therefore the relevant question is if money can bring happiness in short spurts, just like anything else. The obvious occasion of opportunity for money to do so is when a person is lacking it, especially when there is a lack of money for a specific and meaningful use. So the only relevant question is if it's ever been able to do that for you and I can't imagine a person with access to money that would say no. I can understand a shift in the discussion to whether money by itself is able to bring "sufficient" happiness for a person. However this is also a ridiculous concept since it is impossible for money to be the sole source of happiness for a person. So we can adjust the question and ask 'if money is the primary source of happiness for a person, will it provide "sufficient" happiness?' I think this question is finally getting to the point that people seem eager to jump to, however there are obvious difficulties in answering the question, though the answer may be valuable. One difficulty is that not enough people have experienced limitless money and those who have experienced it might have had other significant sources of happiness. The bigger difficulty is to expect such self-awareness about oneself in order to judge the effectiveness of money as a source of happiness. Can one really judge? So, to summarize: The question, as stated, is trivial because everyone is obligated to answer yes. The deeper question would yield a relevant answer but it is very difficult to answer (if it's possible at all). The results of the poll are meaningless. | ||
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Cambium
United States16368 Posts
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NewbSaibot
3849 Posts
On February 28 2007 20:43 rS.NonY wrote: So if I suck dick behind a dumpster in an alley to score 5 bucks for that crack rock which made me really happy, by virtue of your backpedaling logic sucking dick makes me happy. You cant look at the object which makes you happy, then look backwards at what acquired that object as the origins of your happiness, or else where do you stop? Money only needs to have brought you happiness once for it to be able to bring you happiness. Everyone is focused on the situation of having limitless money and if that will bring continuous happiness but that's just a special case and not really relevant at all. If you've ever been happy to get some money (to fund your education, to buy a soda from the vending machine when you ran out of change, to buy your loved one a gift, to buy yourself a gift, whatever) then you're obligated to answer yes. That is, if you ever lacked money and were happy to get it, then you're obligated to answer yes. | ||
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DarkYoDA
United States1347 Posts
On February 28 2007 14:07 TheosEx wrote: You guys don't get it. NewbSaibot seems to be the only one who understands me. I am not saying I am not happy in life. I am saying the money I have is not what is making me happy. I am very happy- happy to be able to work and do things for myself. I take pride that I have a 3.8 GPA while taking 18-21 credits a semester, work two jobs, can spoil my girlfriend rotten, drive a nice car, and can basically support myself when I don't have too. That's what makes me happy. I understand also. I think there are many who gets your point. However, when you do meet a few bitches in your life you will talk a little different than this I think - It's a matter of time | ||
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j0ehoe
United States2705 Posts
On February 28 2007 21:25 NewbSaibot wrote: So if I suck dick behind a dumpster in an alley to score 5 bucks for that crack rock which made me really happy, by virtue of your backpedaling logic sucking dick makes me happy. You cant look at the object which makes you happy, then look backwards at what acquired that object as the origins of your happiness, or else where do you stop? idk why, i rofled reading this. i still dont see how so many people think it will make you happy tho. ;/ | ||
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Dendra
Croatia801 Posts
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rS.NonY
United States286 Posts
On February 28 2007 21:25 NewbSaibot wrote: So if I suck dick behind a dumpster in an alley to score 5 bucks for that crack rock which made me really happy, by virtue of your backpedaling logic sucking dick makes me happy. You cant look at the object which makes you happy, then look backwards at what acquired that object as the origins of your happiness, or else where do you stop? 1.) It's not backpedaling logic. I started with the question and developed it forward, not backward. I decided that the original question was impotent so I attributed more to it. You'll have to explain more in case I'm missing that point. 2.) I didn't address a distinction between money as a means to an end or as an end itself because I don't believe a distinction exists (or if it does exist, it's trivial). You drew an analogy without defending why your analogy is suitable. I don't believe it is suitable because it presupposes something like this: "all means have identical natures". But I find that to be untrue. Money is a special case because when there is a specific object in mind, the money is equated to the object itself. This is easy because money is just paper and metal; it's symbolic. In your analogy, you switch the means to an action that has significance beyond what it's worth as a means. Then you're faced with a dilemma of considering the value of the action in itself vs the value of it as a means. Money doesn't have this problem because its value in itself is neutral so it completely takes on its value as a means. As far as infinitely going back to find happiness in each arbitrary event that led to the eventual obtaining of money, I agree that is silly. But my argument doesn't require that. Firstly, because we can ignore all the means that have value in themselves, which is nearly everything but money. Secondly, because in order for a person to find happiness in a means as the means is being accomplished, he must have the end in mind. So if something arbitrary and neutral happened that resulted in an end which brought happiness, people can't claim to have been happy at that time. However it's common for people to be happy about it in retrospect, ie "I'm glad I stepped out to get the mail when my house blew up." Of course they weren't happy at the time about getting the mail because it was going to save their life, but they are happy in retrospect. This way of thinking demonstrates people's willingness to attribute their happiness to a meaningless-in-itself means which brought a desirable end. Money is the universal example. | ||
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rS.NonY
United States286 Posts
On February 28 2007 21:17 Cambium wrote: Sometimes... The "sometimes" response is meaningless, since it's synonymous with yes. It's misleading. I can't imagine a comprehensible intention for the stated question that could be answered as "yes" "no" or "sometimes". | ||
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xM(Z
Romania5268 Posts
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xM(Z
Romania5268 Posts
you buy the thing assuming it will make you happy and thats about it Can Money Buy Happiness? = retarded question | ||
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NewbSaibot
3849 Posts
If you won 100 million dollars you would probably shit your pants yes? Would Bill Gates? No, he could give a fuck less. Why is that? How could he possibly not share your same level of excitement over a sum of money we can all agree is high no matter who you are? Because he's used to it. So what does he do for fun? Well to us, it would probably seem extreme. He may buy yachts and just tour the world every other day on a whim, buy a ticket on the space shuttle to experience zero g, then come back home and blow up his yacht to watch the pretty light show. To us these would be extraordinary events to partake in. To him it's not. His emotional well being and excitement factor is the same as yours when you do something as simple as white water rafting, scuba diving in hawaii, etc etc. Things anybody can do. And theres somebody beneath you right now who gets just as much excitement playing stick ball and spinning a dradle. To you that seems preposterous, to them the idea of having a tv seems extravagant. Oh happy and fulfilled would they be if only they owned a 13" color television. You would by your tv in your house every day and probably dont even give a shit about it. | ||
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lil.sis
China4650 Posts
On February 28 2007 20:26 Jonoman92 wrote: Wow, I can't beleive how many people chose "yes." I only read first 3 pages of the thread but here's my response. -Even if you appear happy on the outside and you get all drugs of whatever type you want, and go wherever you want and meet amazing people who will pretend to like you it seems to me it won't be the same. IMO if I knew it was all because of the money and that it was all a fake, I couldn't be happy. I could enjoy it and have fun but no matter how hard I pushed it out of my consciece mind it'd be there and I think it'd suck knowing that people could hate you but you are paying them so it doesn't matter. This goes double for finding a gf or something, if you know they are only with you because they know you're rich. Even if they're hot you can't enjoy the feeling that they actually desire you and enjoy your company so it just wouldn't be the same... to me at least. -just read what the guy wrote above me, I completely agree with that. why do people seem to think that being rich and having real relationships are mutually exclusive all other things being equal, richer = happier | ||
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NewbSaibot
3849 Posts
On March 01 2007 09:53 lil.sis wrote: How would you knowall other things being equal, richer = happier | ||
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HorsementalitY
United States1159 Posts
I'd rather be rich than poor. | ||
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lil.sis
China4650 Posts
On March 01 2007 10:07 NewbSaibot wrote: How would you know you're joking right would you rather your life be exactly as it is now or exactly as it is now +$500 | ||
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lil.sis
China4650 Posts
if you have no meaningful relationships but a lot of money, then you will be unhappy. in that sense, money does not buy happiness. if you do have meaningful relationships, then you will be happier if you had those same relationships and more money. in that sense, money does buy happiness these are merely two scenarios of the same issue edit: also if you dont have meaningful relationships and are broke, it will be harder for you to establish meaningful relationships than if you have none but are wealthy, because wealth provides the freedom to put yourself in situations where establishing meaningful relationships are more likely (joining sports clubs, sailing, whatever) | ||
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~OpZ~
United States3652 Posts
later in life....atleast...I know I wouldn't be.... Maybe now... | ||
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