6 ms·

They can quit stressful jobs, or immediately get appointments with great healthcare providers, or go travel in Europe for a year. Let's be fair: money can't so

They can quit stressful jobs, or immediately get appointments with great healthcare providers, or go travel in Europe for a year. Let's be fair: money can't solve all your problems, but it can solve some of them. The only problem is that serious mental illness is one of those things that money can't magically fix.

rhizome 8y ago
I'm guessing you aren't aware that Kate Spade had sold her company years ago.
- waisbrot 8y ago
  I'm not aware of Kate Spade, but I feel like the prior poster's > The only problem is that serious mental illness is one of those things that money can't magically fix. covers it pretty well, no?
- loeg 8y ago
  (One anecdote does not contradict the general point.)
- busterarm 8y ago
  She had a new company, so she still had a stressful job: https://francesvalentine.com/ https://francesvalentine.com/
- doingmyting 8y ago
  She actually started another right after that. Listen to the interview she did on "How I built this"
undefined1 8y ago
Yeah, though one can imagine that being a billionaire also introduces some problems. For one thing it changes family and friend dynamics and that's really a key source of happiness.
- s-shellfish 8y ago
  It's the same problem that comes from excelling at anything valued, or having any intensely desired quality. You don't know why people want to be around you, and you don't know whether they will still be there if (or when) you no longer have those qualities deemed so desirable.
  - farone 8y ago
    Not the same, not even close. Capital is abstracted value that everybody needs. The differences this makes in such a situation is drastically more disorienting. >and you don't know whether they will still be there if (or when) you no longer have those qualities deemed so desirable This phenomenon is heartbreaking and surely happens with things like talents and innate characteristics, personality, etc., but it would be very rare with those compared to with capital. When it concerns capital, the issue becomes exponentially more common with exponentially less potential to be understood. When it's happening with more people in a society, it's instances collide and fracture relationships at a far greater rate.
    - s-shellfish 8y ago
      Abstraction and everybody... That really depends on how you look at what a 'self' and what 'everybody' is, and how 'abstraction' interrelates the two. Consider an artist in relation to their culture.
- farone 8y ago
  Not disagreeing at all, but "being a billionaire" is a poor articulation of the culprit. The havoc capitalism plays on social relationships has been documented, researched for centuries. This is the very core of Marxist thought, and to my knowledge has never been contested. Since you're probably an American and I just referenced Karl Marx, let's please remember Karl Marx was in fact insistent on the importance of democracy (far more than most Americans) and that anyone familiar with his work would have no question of the vast differences between and his well-known disapproval of the Soviet Union defending their project with his work.
Cakez0r 8y ago
Unlimited wealth can also cause its own set of problems and anxieties that run deeper than "which bank should I use" or "which whim should I indulge next". E.G. Does someone like me or do they just like my money? What should I do with my life now that I'm unfulfilled by indulging my whims?
- ehnto 8y ago
  It's an extension of graduation depression in a way. You have essentially succeeded at the most advertised metric of life, money. If you view life as a linear progression of growing success, then that's the logical conclusion. Good job, you win.
  - Cakez0r 8y ago
    And I'd guess this is also why midlife crises are a thing. Once you've got your beautiful family, house, car and stable job, what's next?
    - maroonblazer 8y ago
      Apologies if this is pedantic but, just the opposite, mid-life crises arise because of the realization that the gap between your accomplishments and your ideals is larger than you thought it would be by the time you reached middle age.
      - solarkraft 8y ago
        this is not pedantic if it's the definition of a mid life crisis (I don't know), but just wrong if people worry about different things :-)
      - tuesdayrain 8y ago
        Seems strange trying to define precisely why people might have a crisis in the middle of their life, as if there would be a single reason.
- hood_syntax 8y ago
pricees 8y ago
"They can quit stressful jobs, or immediately get appointments with great healthcare providers, or go travel in Europe for a year." I believe I know what you mean. I disagree. I have no experience being a billionaire, or a millionaire for that matter, however here are my casual observations and thoughts: A billionaire cannot just quit a job. There must be a transition period. A billionaire can't just no call no show. It's possible, but it never happens. A billionaire cannot travel to Europe like I can, going from Airbnb to airbnb, hopping in an Uber, surfing with the locals, enjoying fish tacos. A billionaire ends up being an ambassador with little privacy. Immediately get appointments with great healthcare providers. Maybe. But so can I.
- n0us 8y ago
  > A billionaire cannot travel to Europe like I can, going from Airbnb to airbnb, hopping in an Uber, surfing with the locals, enjoying fish tacos. A billionaire ends up being an ambassador with little privacy. Thats what the founder of MySpace does now. https://theoutline.com/post/4137/myspace-tom-mark-zuckerberg-facebook?zd=1&zi=cfhulh3k https://theoutline.com/post/4137/myspace-tom-mark-zuckerberg...
- giarc 8y ago
  I think you are lumping all billionaires into the "celebratory billionaire" category. Sure Mark Zuckerberg can no longer zoom around Europe without being recognized, but how many would recognize Len Blavatnik, #46 on Forbes billionare list worth $21B (for example).
  - loeg 8y ago
    > how many would recognize Len Blavatnik, #46 on Forbes billionare list worth $21B (for example)? Exactly. Or even the Waltons, two of the Forbes top-15. If their image isn't part of their public brand, you probably wouldn't recognize them.
- jonas21 8y ago
  > A billionaire cannot just quit a job. There must be a transition period. A billionaire can't just no call no show. Not only that, I imagine that quitting before retirement age could add a lot of anxiety for a billionaire due to loss of status, loss of purpose, feelings of failure, etc.
dkersten 8y ago
Even the problems money can’t solve, it can often help (eg, money can’t vuy happiness but a year long trip might be the change you needed to find happiness) or at least remove other worries. But of course as others have said, it brings another set of worries. Still, money is an enabler that creates options.
- theandrewbailey 8y ago
  In other words, money is a tool. People get happiness not from tools, but what can be done with them.
  - ASipos 8y ago
    And unfortunately programming is a tool.
  - dkersten 8y ago
    That is a great summary, thanks!
olleromam91 8y ago
Some of the most advanced and effective mental health retreats are EXTREMELY expensive. Upwards of 2000 dollars a day.

rhizome 8y ago

I'm guessing you aren't aware that Kate Spade had sold her company years ago.

waisbrot 8y ago
I'm not aware of Kate Spade, but I feel like the prior poster's > The only problem is that serious mental illness is one of those things that money can't magically fix. covers it pretty well, no?
loeg 8y ago
(One anecdote does not contradict the general point.)
busterarm 8y ago
She had a new company, so she still had a stressful job: https://francesvalentine.com/ https://francesvalentine.com/
doingmyting 8y ago
She actually started another right after that. Listen to the interview she did on "How I built this"

undefined1 8y ago

Yeah, though one can imagine that being a billionaire also introduces some problems. For one thing it changes family and friend dynamics and that's really a key source of happiness.

s-shellfish 8y ago
It's the same problem that comes from excelling at anything valued, or having any intensely desired quality. You don't know why people want to be around you, and you don't know whether they will still be there if (or when) you no longer have those qualities deemed so desirable.
- farone 8y ago
  Not the same, not even close. Capital is abstracted value that everybody needs. The differences this makes in such a situation is drastically more disorienting. >and you don't know whether they will still be there if (or when) you no longer have those qualities deemed so desirable This phenomenon is heartbreaking and surely happens with things like talents and innate characteristics, personality, etc., but it would be very rare with those compared to with capital. When it concerns capital, the issue becomes exponentially more common with exponentially less potential to be understood. When it's happening with more people in a society, it's instances collide and fracture relationships at a far greater rate.
  - s-shellfish 8y ago
    Abstraction and everybody... That really depends on how you look at what a 'self' and what 'everybody' is, and how 'abstraction' interrelates the two. Consider an artist in relation to their culture.
farone 8y ago
Not disagreeing at all, but "being a billionaire" is a poor articulation of the culprit. The havoc capitalism plays on social relationships has been documented, researched for centuries. This is the very core of Marxist thought, and to my knowledge has never been contested. Since you're probably an American and I just referenced Karl Marx, let's please remember Karl Marx was in fact insistent on the importance of democracy (far more than most Americans) and that anyone familiar with his work would have no question of the vast differences between and his well-known disapproval of the Soviet Union defending their project with his work.

Cakez0r 8y ago

Unlimited wealth can also cause its own set of problems and anxieties that run deeper than "which bank should I use" or "which whim should I indulge next". E.G. Does someone like me or do they just like my money? What should I do with my life now that I'm unfulfilled by indulging my whims?

ehnto 8y ago
It's an extension of graduation depression in a way. You have essentially succeeded at the most advertised metric of life, money. If you view life as a linear progression of growing success, then that's the logical conclusion. Good job, you win.
- Cakez0r 8y ago
  And I'd guess this is also why midlife crises are a thing. Once you've got your beautiful family, house, car and stable job, what's next?
  - maroonblazer 8y ago
    Apologies if this is pedantic but, just the opposite, mid-life crises arise because of the realization that the gap between your accomplishments and your ideals is larger than you thought it would be by the time you reached middle age.
    - solarkraft 8y ago
      this is not pedantic if it's the definition of a mid life crisis (I don't know), but just wrong if people worry about different things :-)
    - tuesdayrain 8y ago
      Seems strange trying to define precisely why people might have a crisis in the middle of their life, as if there would be a single reason.
hood_syntax 8y ago

pricees 8y ago

"They can quit stressful jobs, or immediately get appointments with great healthcare providers, or go travel in Europe for a year." I believe I know what you mean. I disagree. I have no experience being a billionaire, or a millionaire for that matter, however here are my casual observations and thoughts: A billionaire cannot just quit a job. There must be a transition period. A billionaire can't just no call no show. It's possible, but it never happens. A billionaire cannot travel to Europe like I can, going from Airbnb to airbnb, hopping in an Uber, surfing with the locals, enjoying fish tacos. A billionaire ends up being an ambassador with little privacy. Immediately get appointments with great healthcare providers. Maybe. But so can I.

n0us 8y ago
> A billionaire cannot travel to Europe like I can, going from Airbnb to airbnb, hopping in an Uber, surfing with the locals, enjoying fish tacos. A billionaire ends up being an ambassador with little privacy. Thats what the founder of MySpace does now. https://theoutline.com/post/4137/myspace-tom-mark-zuckerberg-facebook?zd=1&zi=cfhulh3k https://theoutline.com/post/4137/myspace-tom-mark-zuckerberg...
giarc 8y ago
I think you are lumping all billionaires into the "celebratory billionaire" category. Sure Mark Zuckerberg can no longer zoom around Europe without being recognized, but how many would recognize Len Blavatnik, #46 on Forbes billionare list worth $21B (for example).
- loeg 8y ago
  > how many would recognize Len Blavatnik, #46 on Forbes billionare list worth $21B (for example)? Exactly. Or even the Waltons, two of the Forbes top-15. If their image isn't part of their public brand, you probably wouldn't recognize them.
jonas21 8y ago
> A billionaire cannot just quit a job. There must be a transition period. A billionaire can't just no call no show. Not only that, I imagine that quitting before retirement age could add a lot of anxiety for a billionaire due to loss of status, loss of purpose, feelings of failure, etc.

dkersten 8y ago

Even the problems money can’t solve, it can often help (eg, money can’t vuy happiness but a year long trip might be the change you needed to find happiness) or at least remove other worries. But of course as others have said, it brings another set of worries. Still, money is an enabler that creates options.

theandrewbailey 8y ago
In other words, money is a tool. People get happiness not from tools, but what can be done with them.
- ASipos 8y ago
  And unfortunately programming is a tool.
- dkersten 8y ago
  That is a great summary, thanks!

olleromam91 8y ago

Some of the most advanced and effective mental health retreats are EXTREMELY expensive. Upwards of 2000 dollars a day.