4 ms·

"Not everybody is frantically trying to be the next ultra-billionaire" ...as long as things work out for you, yeah, maybe, but when shit hits the fan it might b

by nnq 7y ago

"Not everybody is frantically trying to be the next ultra-billionaire" ...as long as things work out for you, yeah, maybe, but when shit hits the fan it might be more about not ending up depressed-to-suicide by being the poorest chap in the neighborhood or not ending up unable to get health insurance!

darkpuma 7y ago
I know this is alien to you, but many people do not care one wit about being the richest in the neighborhood. It is within the capacity of a human being to break themselves free from the "keeping up with the Joneses" race, but perhaps not within the capacity of every individual. If you're the sort of hyper-competitive person who becomes borderline suicidal because their shy personality limits them to an adequate income, then obviously you're going to be in for a rough life. But that experience is not universal. (Also, it's absurd to say anybody who is shy is doomed to have no health insurance.)
- luckylion 7y ago
  > I know this is alien to you, but many people do not care one wit about being the richest in the neighborhood. There's some middle ground between being the richest and not being the poorest. Most people want to be relatively well off and not struggle to make ends meet, even if, compared to somebody 200 years ago, they are in much better circumstances.
  - darkpuma 7y ago
    > "Most people want to be relatively well off and not struggle to make ends meet," 'Relatively well off' is subjective, and for many people it means "not struggle to make ends meet", e.g. 'adequate income'. There are certainly some paths through life in which a shy person will have difficulty making even a modest income. A shy person trying to work as a salesman would probably find life very difficult. However there are plenty of other sorts of jobs that suit shy people, and provide income that many people consider to be adequate.

by nnq 7y ago

darkpuma 7y ago

I know this is alien to you, but many people do not care one wit about being the richest in the neighborhood. It is within the capacity of a human being to break themselves free from the "keeping up with the Joneses" race, but perhaps not within the capacity of every individual. If you're the sort of hyper-competitive person who becomes borderline suicidal because their shy personality limits them to an adequate income, then obviously you're going to be in for a rough life. But that experience is not universal. (Also, it's absurd to say anybody who is shy is doomed to have no health insurance.)

luckylion 7y ago
> I know this is alien to you, but many people do not care one wit about being the richest in the neighborhood. There's some middle ground between being the richest and not being the poorest. Most people want to be relatively well off and not struggle to make ends meet, even if, compared to somebody 200 years ago, they are in much better circumstances.
- darkpuma 7y ago
  > "Most people want to be relatively well off and not struggle to make ends meet," 'Relatively well off' is subjective, and for many people it means "not struggle to make ends meet", e.g. 'adequate income'. There are certainly some paths through life in which a shy person will have difficulty making even a modest income. A shy person trying to work as a salesman would probably find life very difficult. However there are plenty of other sorts of jobs that suit shy people, and provide income that many people consider to be adequate.