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In Germany there is a saying: Man erkennt Wohlstand nicht daran, dass die Leute weniger jammern, sondern daran, auf welchem Niveau sie jammern. (You don't rec
by vog 17y ago
In Germany there is a saying:
Man erkennt Wohlstand nicht daran, dass die Leute weniger jammern, sondern daran, auf welchem Niveau sie jammern.
(You don't recognize wealth by less complaining people, but by the level on which they are complaining.)
- Tycho 17y agoI like that. Here's one I just thought up: Envy is not poverty. Would you say that is analogous?
- vog 17y agoI think there is a connection, but there are important differences. First, envy is a different issue than complaining. People are complaining every day, which is mostly a good thing, because it encourages improvement and self-critism. Think of inventors or human rights fighters. However, envy is almost always a bad thing that shouldn't happen too often. It causes anti-social behaviour and thus must be fighted against. Second, poverty is not the opposite of wealth, it's the other extreme. Also, wealth means more than just material wealth, and this extended meaning is essential to the saying I cited above. In contrast, poverty means material poverty, which is kind of misleading in the context above.