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Aug. 23rd, 2006 07:33 amSometimes I think Brezny's horoscopes are a little too whacked out to be relevant, but this week's hit spot on:
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Psychologists Ed Diener and Martin E.P. Seligman
cite 150 studies that suggest economic factors have little to do with
happiness levels. For example, the Masai of Kenya, whose per capita
income is under $300 a year, are as satisfied with their lives as the 400
wealthiest plutocrats in America. People living in the slums of Calcutta are
slightly less filled with well-being, but not much. Your assignment, Leo, is
to explore the personal implications of this. Can you get to the point
where you truly feel that your ability to enjoy life has little to with how
much money you have?
I've been really thinking about this as R and I have relaxed our budgets a little to enjoy our last 2 weeks in Sac. Am I happier than I was 3 weeks ago when we were at our peak frugal/budgeting phase? Probably not. My friend Nan used to say that money is a representation of energy and if you treat it is as just another way to put energy into something, then it loses some of its heavy (and heady) power. Money (and its energy) really represents stability for me. I come from a family of savers who view debt as sin. Grad school made it extremely difficult so save and impossible to stay completely debt free. That has left me feeling tainted (though I'm working on dealing with those emotions), and most of all it has made me feel like I don't have a safety net. If something happens, what will I do? I realize that I have a disturbing amount of credit at my disposal, and perhaps in modern life that is a safety net. Still, my major goal for the next few years is to pay off my student loans and to create a nest egg for a down payment on some land and, more importantly, so that we can keep two months' living expenses in liquid savings at all times. To me that spells security - two months income to sort things out if disaster strikes and a piece of this earth that is mine. My crazy budgeting to save up rent and deposit has certainly taught me that it is possible to save on even the most meager income - you just have to reframe what necessity is. For those who haven't seen it, the little brown dress project (http://www.littlebrowndress.com/) is an interesting way to look at how consumerism affects (or doesn't affect) our lives. There are other stories out there about people who just give up shopping for a year. That was my mom's big frugal advice for me - don't go in the stores, better yet, don't go anywhere. If you leave the house you will be tempted to buy things, and it will probably use up gas. She's right, though online shopping makes staying home not quite as safe as it used to be, but I just stopped visiting sites like half.com or opening any email with wish list updates in it.
So what do you all think, does money have an isomorphic relationship to happiness in your life? One thing I found interesting in the study Brezny cites is that he is looking at different cultures and communities. The Masai may not expect as much wealth as rich American suburbanites. I think a lot has to do with expectation. I'm willing to bet that the Joneses in Calcutta are a bit easier to keep up with. Even so, this may be a moot point. Many of the older people I know remember their 20s and 30s as the best times of their lives even though they didn't have "enough" money. My mom loves to tell the story about how when she and my dad were first married they lived on base housing and would go to the movies on Saturday for a quarter on base. If they decided to share an icecream cone on the way home they blew the budget. She remembers those years as the best of their lives. Maybe it was just expectation again - 20-somethings aren't expected to have power, prestige, and lots of money in our society. 50-somethings are. My friends in the 50+ range do seem to stress if they haven't reached their career/earning potential goals. It's as if by 50 your choices are all made and the paths have narrowed. The funny thing is that they really haven't. I think of A who became a professor at 51 and my dear friend Jean who told me that the 80s were the best decade of her life because she could do whatever she wanted and everyone was nice to her. She was homeless for a year in her 60s and came back to help out with city planning of low income housing in her 70s and 80s. Jean, with her tiny studio apartment in inner city Baltimore, was one of the most contented and fulfilled people I've ever met. She squeezed by on her social security and teacher's pension and had a rich community of friends.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Psychologists Ed Diener and Martin E.P. Seligman
cite 150 studies that suggest economic factors have little to do with
happiness levels. For example, the Masai of Kenya, whose per capita
income is under $300 a year, are as satisfied with their lives as the 400
wealthiest plutocrats in America. People living in the slums of Calcutta are
slightly less filled with well-being, but not much. Your assignment, Leo, is
to explore the personal implications of this. Can you get to the point
where you truly feel that your ability to enjoy life has little to with how
much money you have?
I've been really thinking about this as R and I have relaxed our budgets a little to enjoy our last 2 weeks in Sac. Am I happier than I was 3 weeks ago when we were at our peak frugal/budgeting phase? Probably not. My friend Nan used to say that money is a representation of energy and if you treat it is as just another way to put energy into something, then it loses some of its heavy (and heady) power. Money (and its energy) really represents stability for me. I come from a family of savers who view debt as sin. Grad school made it extremely difficult so save and impossible to stay completely debt free. That has left me feeling tainted (though I'm working on dealing with those emotions), and most of all it has made me feel like I don't have a safety net. If something happens, what will I do? I realize that I have a disturbing amount of credit at my disposal, and perhaps in modern life that is a safety net. Still, my major goal for the next few years is to pay off my student loans and to create a nest egg for a down payment on some land and, more importantly, so that we can keep two months' living expenses in liquid savings at all times. To me that spells security - two months income to sort things out if disaster strikes and a piece of this earth that is mine. My crazy budgeting to save up rent and deposit has certainly taught me that it is possible to save on even the most meager income - you just have to reframe what necessity is. For those who haven't seen it, the little brown dress project (http://www.littlebrowndress.com/) is an interesting way to look at how consumerism affects (or doesn't affect) our lives. There are other stories out there about people who just give up shopping for a year. That was my mom's big frugal advice for me - don't go in the stores, better yet, don't go anywhere. If you leave the house you will be tempted to buy things, and it will probably use up gas. She's right, though online shopping makes staying home not quite as safe as it used to be, but I just stopped visiting sites like half.com or opening any email with wish list updates in it.
So what do you all think, does money have an isomorphic relationship to happiness in your life? One thing I found interesting in the study Brezny cites is that he is looking at different cultures and communities. The Masai may not expect as much wealth as rich American suburbanites. I think a lot has to do with expectation. I'm willing to bet that the Joneses in Calcutta are a bit easier to keep up with. Even so, this may be a moot point. Many of the older people I know remember their 20s and 30s as the best times of their lives even though they didn't have "enough" money. My mom loves to tell the story about how when she and my dad were first married they lived on base housing and would go to the movies on Saturday for a quarter on base. If they decided to share an icecream cone on the way home they blew the budget. She remembers those years as the best of their lives. Maybe it was just expectation again - 20-somethings aren't expected to have power, prestige, and lots of money in our society. 50-somethings are. My friends in the 50+ range do seem to stress if they haven't reached their career/earning potential goals. It's as if by 50 your choices are all made and the paths have narrowed. The funny thing is that they really haven't. I think of A who became a professor at 51 and my dear friend Jean who told me that the 80s were the best decade of her life because she could do whatever she wanted and everyone was nice to her. She was homeless for a year in her 60s and came back to help out with city planning of low income housing in her 70s and 80s. Jean, with her tiny studio apartment in inner city Baltimore, was one of the most contented and fulfilled people I've ever met. She squeezed by on her social security and teacher's pension and had a rich community of friends.
