Are rich people in the west happy? Why? Why not?

[Ibn Sina]

In this forum there might be many rich people which for me means, travelling, going to places like Bali, Thailand, etc,  having the luxury to spend their time doing yoga etc . Do you think you are happy? If not, what kind of problems bothers you although you have money to travel, etc etc ( A post inspired by a materialistic rich girl who is a classmate of mine and appears very happy in her instagram pics about travelling and rich lifestyle).

Personally, I don't think money is the answer to happiness.

[Forestluv]

 

[Average Investor]

Those pictures are definitely not a way to measure someones happiness. Money can help in some ways because you have less worries about money, more opportunities, and you have access to nicer things. But really most of that is just external stuff that really cannot make you truly happy. A nice car only has a lasting effect for so long. Same with any of those trips or anything else. 

Just being able to get past monetary survival needs you will likely see a boost in your well being. But you can learn to be happy with any circumstance or money. 

[Ibn Sina]

Yaa, everytime I look at Instagram and other pics in fb it's like my 'egoic self' is again activated, my consciousness is lowered.and somewhere a desire to be like them, be like the 'celebrities' lurks  in when I look at such pics and vids, my mind again gets pulled into this culture of never ending rat race of jealousy, competition, materialism which has caused so much depression and low self esteem in this world, even my brother is completely sucked into this culture which favours only the rich and the lucky, and you have to be like reaally reaaaaallly rich and lucky to feel good in this game , which means so much depression and  low esteem and inadequateness.in the world. And even if you do get it all, still it's not the answer as evidenced by celebrity suicides and depression like Avicci, Jimi Hendrix, etc.

@Serotoninluv @Average Investor Thanx guyz for once again pointing me to the right direction.

Edited February 6, 2020 by Ibn Sina

[Average Investor]

It is likely a form of jealousy that you feel viewing those photos. Even if it seems like it does not really make any sense to feel like that it can easily happen. If you want to continue to use social media and not remove it, then I suggest you really go through and cut all of the bullshit out of it. All of the people you know locally besides friends and only add in stuff that is inspiring and you learn stuff from it.

If you do find that it is jealousy that you feel viewing it, then try to find ways to think positively towards that person and how they are deserving of their fortune. Find reasoning for what made them successful or even their parents maybe in this case view it in a way that makes you happy for them. View their success as something that they have earned and acquired and so can you. It will take some time to do this. 

Try cutting out that type of media, but you will likely find it in other things on there. If you do see someone with a nice car or something like that, then imagine how much value they bring to the world. How hard they have worked towards reaching their goal. Go actually look into it and really investigate your feelings. It does not hurt you, when another has success. 

[Ibn Sina]

@Average Investor Yea, that can help, but for me I think what works is thinking  and knowing that rich lifestyle is not the answer to happiness and knowing the 'unhappiness traps' that can still be present in such lifestyle. But still, I do get the 'pull' sometimes which might be jealousy (it's less now days) , which I hope one day I will train my mind to eliminate or deal with such mental reactions. 
I think rather than hardwork, some people are just lucky. So reasoning about their hardwork might not help all the time. I think methods should be developed and explored to cope with such instagram culture,  which not  everyone can boast, and eliminate feelings of inadequacy. 

Edited February 6, 2020 by Ibn Sina

[Average Investor]

@Ibn Sina Try to find 3 things every day that you are thankful for and write them down. You will start to realize how lucky your are yourself, when you start to analyze the great fortune you have. Which I am sure is great, just because you are able to post to me on here. You have a huge amount of opportunities and likely comfort than most in the world. But I have struggled with the same thing and it is okay, you will work through it. You will find yourself much more successful once you move past that. You are right though too that stuff will not help your progress too far in life. Just getting your survival in order is important really. 

[Emmaz]

Hmm... I believe that money can cause happiness, but once you reach a certain income, increasing your money wont do anything for your happiness. I think it's the worry and stress of not having money for basic needs, that deprives one of happiness. Of course, it isn't the money itself that causes happiness, it's just getting past survival mode that allows for better self improvement and more time for creativity, self reflection, and empathy for others.

Personally, as a kid I was able to go on a couple of family trips outside of the US, and those experiences enriched my life. I didn't feel materialistic about the trips, nor the need to brag about it to friends or social media. It was really about seeing beautiful nature and different cultures, and having a fun, relaxing time to play with my siblings. Now that I don't currently have the luxury of extra money, I like to go camping in nature every once in a while. A couple years ago I became a bit obsessed with the idea of traveling the world, but that caused me a lot of stress, so I'm now just focused on starting my career, meeting basic necessities, and making travel a goal for the future.

[GGG]

I don't think there is anyone who wouldn't like to be able to afford some free time to do yoga and spa and go to Bali for a week instead of having some sh*tty job and struggling to make ends meet. Everything else is relevant to the person and their particular situation.

[Shadowraix]

Money doesn't give you happiness directly. It gives you comfort. Comfort doesn't give you happiness. What comfort can do is give you more flexibility to find happiness. 

[Gili Trawangan]

I just want to mention that traveling to Bali and Thailand doesn't require much money. You don't have to be filthy rich, you don't even have to be rich.

If that's something you're interested in, do some research and you will find that it's much easier than it seems at first glance.

[Alex bAlex]

Don't know if this is much related to your question but Russell Brand is talking here about the threshold of around $75,000 per year, which when is passed, the money doesn't do much to improve your happiness. Sure money are important and open can open many doors to happiness and gives you more opportunities. 

Use social media to make money, not to consume it. I know it can be tough but trust me, you don't loose anything. 

[Apparition of Jack]

@Ibn Sina  Keep in mind these apps are more or less designed to promote the most jealousy-invoking images to the top, since it helps both keep you addicted and keeps the people posting these pictures interested in posting more, since it creates a feedback loop of addiction to the "likes"/comments/offers to advertise from companies and so on. Instagram, facebook etc can be tools for growth used correctly, but you have to be careful with them because it's very easy to get caught in unconscious patterns of seeking the next "high" from seeing a friend's "amazing trip" or finding out "what's hot" with people around you and so on.

[Lento]

Money facilitates and enhances survival. The rest is more or less like a video game. Can I still be having fun while losing in a video game? Yeah, sure. It's a matter of perspective. If I'm playing to win and I lose, then I obviously won't be having fun. If I'm playing just for the sake of having fun, then I will probably be having trouble finding the fun. So, when am I going to be happy? There's a conditional happiness; which is dependent on certain criteria, like winning all the time, for example. And there's unconditional happiness; which is dependent on none.

It gets a little bit more complicated, though. Because in real life, the things that people do (like posting pictures on IG or FB) are vital for their survival, not just games for fun. So, it's not that they are simply happy posting their pictures, they want people to think that they're happy, they're basically passively (unconsciously, if you will) fooling others into thinking that they're happy, and by that, they become more loved and popular, which feeds back again into their survival agenda. Their egos are not stupid playing the games of society, in fact, they're highly intelligent. They simply aren't playing at the same level as the kind people you'd encounter on here. Here, the ego plays on a different level; spirituality, mysticism, wisdom, intelligence, books, enlightenment, success, experience, authenticity, helping others, etc..... I'd guess the majority of people here (like you and me for example) aren't huge fans of the social media, and probably had problematic relationships with their social circles to the point where they (we) isolated themselves and became introverts, and focused on other things, things that they didn't suck at. More introvertedness = more intellect. And so, here we are, chasing the same thing that the "low-consciousness" people are chasing, only thinking that we're superior and more developed than they are. We think that they're shallow by posting their pictures and playing the games of jealousy, envy, lying, and so on... While from their perspective, we're complicated and stuck in our minds. From the meta perspective, everyone is a magician fooling other magicians. The trick is that the trick only works on the magicians of the same speciality, and it does not work on the other magicians because they can't even see it! It doesn't register.

However, me, you, and everyone else in the world will still submit to money, because money speaks louder than anything else. We'll still remain in the hierarchy whether we like it or not. I'd guess the main reason why Trump is the president of the USA is because of his money. Money = leverage, and leverage = media, and media = votes. Let alone the votes he gets by using the influence of his 'friends'. It's a rat race, and it's exciting to play the game, on any level.

In brief, the more money you have, the more access to the outer reality you will get. However, your access to the inner reality is not related to money at all, unless you choose to make it so.

Edited February 8, 2020 by Lento

[Raptorsin7]

@Lento I am from a wealthy family and I was unhappy most of my life so I have some insight. Money is great because it shows you that money can't buy happiness. I realized a few years ago that there's nothing I want that I can't buy, and yet I wasn't happy. One of the advantages of being financially free on the path is that you have 0 money worries. I made incredible progress over the past 5 months, and one of the main reasons is because I have 0 worry about money and self actualizing is basically my full time job.

[Lento]

@Raptorsin7

Good for you! It is a very lucky place to be in. The new Buddha is coming ?

What are your practices, daily schedule, age, and country? (if you'd like sharing). And how would you rate your happiness now after 5 months of Self-Actualization?

And do you think there are disadvantages to being wealthy? If so, what are they?

[Raptorsin7]

On 2/9/2020 at 3:42 AM, Lento said:

What are your practices, daily schedule, age, and country? (if you'd like sharing). And how would you rate your happiness now after 5 months of Self-Actualization?

I do yoga, float tanks, life coaching @Nahm, and micro dose LSD. I'm 24, I live in Canada. I wouldn't rate my happiness on a scale like that, i'd rather describe my emotional set point. I'm around contentment, and hopefulness most of the day. But i've also been slacking on my practices since my first awakening experience. I know what's possible now for me feeling wise, so i'm trying to embody that feeling more. I'm infinitely happier now then when i first started my journey. I have clear directoin, I have purpose, and I have transcended my old limiting beliefs. I'm not done by any means, I still have a lot to do, so I wouldn't consider my self awakened or anything. But i'm definitely on a different level then when i first started posting.

On 2/9/2020 at 3:42 AM, Lento said:

And do you think there are disadvantages to being wealthy? If so, what are they?

I'd rather be wealthy then poor. It's freed up my attention to pursue enlightenment basically full time. I have 0 concern about money, i never think twice about spending. 

The disadvantages are people can get trapped just chasing money. I know a lot of rich people, like my  family, that don't know anything other than working and making money. Some people just get stuck in their nice life, and never know it's possible to experience more. 

There's definitely a downside to being handed everything, so I don't have the same work ethic as other's my age I think. But i have no complaints, my life is amazing and very conducive to growth and self actualization. I wouldn't trade with anyone.

[Nahm]

@Ibn Sina I think you’re shining a light on both the true innocence of love and the illusion there are two of them. If love was born in place of the girl, yet into the exact same life, it too would be loving what she is loving. 

[Michael569]

Money is not happiness however money can help you get closer to that place. Ultimately happiness comes from being and from not needing. The moment you stop needing is the moment you become happy. 

To get there though, most people need to go through a lot of personal and spiritual growth that money can help you get. If one is in bad relationship, horrible stressful work and has no life purpose, happiness from being is hard to get to. I think we need to have all our foundational blocks of Maslow's Hierarchy in place before truly getting to that "being" levels.  

Finding one's life purpose can be most helpful in this endeavour.