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Why You Are Not On Any Forbes Lists of Rich People
Mike writes "Ever wondered why, no matter how hard you work, you are not getting any further towards getting on one of those Forbes Billionaire lists? Mike Cassidy at Mercury Center has the answer to why you are not on any Forbes lists via a Q & A he has prepared for all us working stiffs."
The sad thing about America is that we hammer our kids during their formative years with the message that all the wrong things matter. We tell them that succeeding in a narccisitic power game is the most important thing or even the only thing. It's a lie, and it screws everyone over, expecially the weaker kids who believe the lie and who can't afford to be distracted from the hard work of finding their potential. If we focused our educational system on teaching kids how to be fully potentialized human beings and didn't concern ourselves with their value to the capitalist machine (at least during their formative years), they would have a chance to reach their full potential and it would likely have value to society (even unsuccessful artists add to a society). Instead, we churn out generations of cripples, simpletons capable only of consumerism or narrow minded capitalist pursuits, and as this mass grows, they in turn pass on the lie to their own children since it is all they know.
Sure, some money is needed. There are basic needs (food, clothing, shelter) to be met. There are medical bills. There is the cost of education. There is the need to save for retirement. There is the want to support your hobbies and interest and to have time for your family. But we need to put this into perspective. First of all, even in America where everything is becoming privatized and expensive, you don't have to be rich to achieve these goals. But if all you know is consumerism=happiness, then you are going to need a ton of money to be happy expecially since you get more and more jaded with every toy you buy (diminishing returns). A non-consumerism-addicted human who has emerged from their formative years undamaged will be able to enjoy life at a much smaller cost. Second of all, if we were able to start reversing the course of this problem and head back towards sanity (perhaps starting with a stock market crash), eventually we might be able to shift the emphasis of our government towards providing a real safety net, where everyone is truly able stay above the poverty line, to get a good education, enjoy medical benefits, and a reasonable retirement.
The emptiness of our society right now is very disturbing to me. We eat our own. Adult foreigners come here to play and make money but raise their kids elsewhere. The elite don't make use of our public schools and universities. It should be clear to all that true quality of life for the majority of americans is headed into the gutter. But this isn't an oft discussed topic these days while stock prices are high.
Oh foo! all i need is enough money for a nice new computer and a stereo and a bunch of cds and a truck and some acreage and a tractor and that nice taylor guitar and traveling to europe and paying off my school loans and donating to charity and i will be just dandy and comfortable.
"i don't need anything!!...Except this chair!! All i need is this chair! and this lamp! but that's all!"
"I want peace on earth and good will toward men." "We're the U.S. government. We don't do that sort of thing!!"
You mention a lot of good points, but the analysis is more emotional than scientifically dissective. I can't do the topic justice either, but others before us have done a fairly good job.
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs gives a particularly good framework for considerations of the value of money in the scheme of things. In a nutshell, the items of maximum value to you as an individual are determined by what you need to satisfy your immediate requirements. Good hifi speakers are not relevant when you don't have a roof over your head, and shelter is meaningless when you are dying from starvation. Money is often considered a general enabler but it's far from being that: it's worth nothing when you're stuck on a rock in the middle of a crocodile reservoir. Even in more mundane circumstances, it can be unhelpful, and even a liability.
Financial riches are merely part of a larger picture. This doesn't come across in the media and on the stock market of course, but that doesn't really matter, because everyone knows it anyway. When we hear people say "Be happy with what you've got" it sounds like advice from a have to a have-not, but only if you accept that you are a have-not. If you're intelligent enough to understand the phrase, they you are clearly not a have-not. You may not have a lot of money (join the club), but that's not a reflection on much at all except on the amount of tax you'll be paying. The law of diminishing returns hits with a vengence in this area, and I'm not just talking about tax.
In summary, who cares whether we're on some Rich List or other. The taxman, for sure. For everyone else, if you care then I'd seriously worry about your quality of life, because you'll be *very* unhappy for the rest of it.
"The question of whether machines can think is no more interesting than [] whether submarines can swim" - Dijkstra
I'd like to moderate the Article down, please. If similiar blathering was a post from an AC it would immediately be marked at flamebait/worthless/etc. I'm going a step further than the usual moderation and giving that Page, a rating of "-1 Lame/Un-interisting/Waste of Electrons".
Slashdot is usually very good about posting interesting/thought provoking and often wacky stories. This article was none of those. For any of you who did not read the article, here is a synopsis:
I can't believe good old Mike Cassidy gets paid for this drivel. On the plus side he does kinda look like the Norton Utilities Guy :)