The Concept of Wealth!(and why its wrong)

Wealth is a measurement of capital/things of that nature. Which is why it has to be material. Which is why distributing it away doesn't produce more wealth, though it does produce happiness.

What makes person A wealthier than person B is not happiness, but how much material possessions he has compared to B.

reply to post by Aliensun


If you are refering to me, I wouldnt go so far as to say I'm a wise man(although I thank you) I would say simply I have seen what wealth does to people and what happens when its taken away.
For example my uncle owns an insurance type company where they do annuitys and such yada yada and they practice something called "Riding the Grey Line" basically doing just enough to not be breaking the law. but he has been sued multiple times for this and is banned from multiple states and is slowly losing his "wealth" his most recent lawsuit he lost was for around 110 million dollars. and they just came out to arizona to visit my great grandfather who was dying(and has since then passed away Sgt. Robert L. Richardson

Originally posted by 547000
Wealth is a measurement of capital/things of that nature. Which is why it has to be material. Which is why distributing it away doesn't produce more wealth, though it does produce happiness.

What makes person A wealthier than person B is not happiness, but how much material possessions he has compared to B.

I think you need to fill out one of those little captcha forms so we can make sure you are not a machine.

I seriously doubt you are human, or even human-like.

reply to post by 547000


Wealth has many different definition guy... What you are speaking of is just one of those and in your opinion may be "wealth" but in mine that is just a possestion that means nothing. As long as i can survive, hey I am happy I dont need alot of money and if it came right down to an SHTF scenario I wouldnt need a thing other than my family because I have my life set up with shelter that requires no money it produces food, provides clean drinking water, produces its own electricity, and I have the knowledge to maintain fix and repair all of those things. So im set and even if we lost those things we have the kowledge to survive and we have each other.

Nowhere did I say the pursuit of wealth is the same as the pursuit of happiness. Many people think the pursuit of wealth is the key to happiness. It is not.

Maybe I'm missing something, but why am I a machine?

[edit on 9-8-2010 by 547000]

reply to post by 547000


Because you refuse to see other peoples arguments and are stubbornly clutching onto your ideas of wealth with no thought on the fact that there are other definitions to wealth

I agree with you! When I saw the thread title I knew exactly where you were going with it. I tell this to the slew of materialistic shallow people I am around on a daily basis at work. They all seem to think they need money to be happy and I disagree. I don't have anything fancy, I have what I need and I am happier than everyone I know with wads of money at their disposal. I am happy for so many reasons and I am considered poor by societies standards and I could careless. I have what I need and I would't trade it for millions or any amount of money. Money causes problems imo, you see it all over the world and in society.

Most people feel that money gives them status, imo it just gives more problems. I didn't grow up with money at all so I think I learned to appreciate the simpler things in life over material possessions. I really do believe the way one grows up has a huge impact on their life as an adult. I can say that the way I was raised is exactly why I am who I am today with everything in my life not just money.

I will agree with you it does cause problems and has alot to do with how you are raised. Im just tired of hearing all these peopleand all their problems im like O-o you want problems you can complain about go to africa or somewhere like that... Then you can complain

I read an interesting quote this morning about wealth by G. K. Chesterton.

You will hear everlastingly this argument that the rich man cannot be bribed. The fact is, of course, that the rich man is bribed, he has been bribed already. That is why he is a rich man.

Material wealth not only begets material wealth, it requires material thinking, and material defence. Spiritual or emotional wealth do the same, but are arguably more enriching pursuits.

Originally posted by Sumdumguy
reply to post by 547000

 

Wealth has many different definition guy... What you are speaking of is just one of those and in your opinion may be "wealth" but in mine that is just a possestion that means nothing. As long as i can survive, hey I am happy I dont need alot of money and if it came right down to an SHTF scenario I wouldnt need a thing other than my family because I have my life set up with shelter that requires no money it produces food, provides clean drinking water, produces its own electricity, and I have the knowledge to maintain fix and repair all of those things. So im set and even if we lost those things we have the kowledge to survive and we have each other.

You're missing his (and my) entire post. You're happy, NOT wealthy. Wealth != happiness, just as happiness != wealth. You can't just go around willy nilly changing definitions for words. If you cam, then I'm a wet (tall) lizard (guy) with green (brown) skin (eyes).

Um, wealth has a connotation that implies it is materialistic in nature. That is what the word "wealth" actually refers to. It does not imply anything about happiness, nor is it something intrinsically good like love or freedom. It has nothing to do with them which is why, though a person may be wealthy, he might not be happy. It has a precise connotation in economics. Saying wealth does not necessarily imply anything material is wrong; it does as it is used now in context. However, if you want to redefine wealth to connote a good thing or something everyone should strive for, then you would be justified in saying wealth is not material.

Nice! I like that quotation something deep to chew on for a while.

(2nd Line)

reply to post by Arcane Demesne


Ok how can you say "wealth" is only materialistic? As i said before welath has many different definitions beyond just material possessions! the fact that you continue to stubbornly argue with what is written and set in stone baffles me. I mean honestly are you too threatened by someone considering happiness wealth that you refuse to see whats right in front of you? Its not like I am telling you your not wealthy because you have money and no love, Im simply stating my opinion on the fact that I have love and dont need money to be "wealthy" and on a side note about love not being wealth, wealth has to be something tangible. Think about it love is tangible my daughter is love i can hug her i can see her and the same goes for my wife they are both tangible object representing love therefor they(under your definition of wealth) are considered wealth!

reply to post by Sumdumguy


"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen, nor touched, but are felt in the heart. -Helen Keller"

Originally posted by Sumdumguy
reply to post by Arcane Demesne

 

Ok how can you say "wealth" is only materialistic? As i said before welath has many different definitions beyond just material possessions! the fact that you continue to stubbornly argue with what is written and set in stone baffles me. I mean honestly are you too threatened by someone considering happiness wealth that you refuse to see whats right in front of you? Its not like I am telling you your not wealthy because you have money and no love, Im simply stating my opinion on the fact that I have love and dont need money to be "wealthy" and on a side note about love not being wealth, wealth has to be something tangible. Think about it love is tangible my daughter is love i can hug her i can see her and the same goes for my wife they are both tangible object representing love therefor they(under your definition of wealth) are considered wealth!

No, and 547000 and I are not saying you need money to be happy (and technically, you don't need money to be wealthy either, paper has little value. Wealth is the accumulation of capital). I understand you're trying to 'turn a phrase' or whatever, but you're confusing what the definition of wealth is. happiness is NOT wealth. Happiness is....wait for it......happiness! Wealth, cannot buy you happiness, thus logically, happiness cannot buy you wealth. I fail to understand why you, and a few others on this thread, can't grasp that.

Joy, happiness, well-being, feeling of belonging, etc, have nothing to do with being rich (having money) or being wealthy (having capital), unless of course your family is capital (like if you owned a farm). In that case, the 'grotesque' remark rings true. As they are just part of your 'wealth'. They do not make you wealthy (unless of course, they produce goods. But your happiness of them producing the goods is not wealth, the turning of those goods into capital is what makes you wealthy).

[edit on 8/9/2010 by Arcane Demesne]

Being rich is totally different >.> "Wealth" like i have said before has many different definitions and not all of them consist of capital ok so my wealth has nothing to do with money or capital it has to do with family and love. Open your mind to things you cant understand and you would be suprised of the things you will learn... WEALTH DOES NOT ALWAYS MEAN MONEY/CAPITAL! just look at it from a different perspective.

Originally posted by Sumdumguy
Being rich is totally different >.> "Wealth" like i have said before has many different definitions and not all of them consist of capital ok so my wealth has nothing to do with money or capital it has to do with family and love. Open your mind to things you cant understand and you would be suprised of the things you will learn... WEALTH DOES NOT ALWAYS MEAN MONEY/CAPITAL!

just look at it from a different perspective.

Wealth is having an abundance. An over flowing measure of something/anything, of value.

reply to post by rusethorcain


And love is endless. Therefore an abundance. So this argument can go on and on because there will be peopl who will not accept my views because they have been told that they are wrong. I will stick by my views of an alternate wealth =] love is wealth just as money is but its all about what one wants it to be! And I want love over money!

reply to post by rusethorcain


And since not everyone 'values' the same thing, I can call him un-wealthy, and he can call himself wealthy and we're both right in our relative stances. Quite a pointless thread then, no?

reply to post by Arcane Demesne


No its not pointless im bringing to light the fact that just because im not a billionaire does not make me un-wealthy. I am saying why do we have the constant need to label things. =] We are all wealthy just in different ways!