#and there is something so inherently materialistic the further west you go

[beachesgetpeaches]

but there is something to be extracted here on how something that IS (almost) true ("poor people are happier with less", which inevitably supplies that you "dont need money to buy happiness")... can be so twisted in logic so that it is taken away from what it truly signifies in this sad wretched world

(yeah I am feeling weird this morning and I am going to go on a rant)

poor people, or people who in general have less. families that at their very best live pay-check to pay-check... they have more "real world" problems compared to the comfy upper classes. they live with daily, monthly, yearly stress of how can I make my finances handle this next burden. and they struggle and they find ways to make do.

kids get hand me down books or clothes. parents sacrifice their desire for something sweet so the kids can get smth... idk there are likely multiple examples.

but imo the people in such situation have an understanding of money which differs so much from the rich (not even filthy rich) materialistic point of view. i feel like when you don't have as much, or sometimes don't have enough you learn that money is just a means to an end.

or well... money is not something you covet for yourself. thats the first thing. you learn that you need it, and then you want it to fix the injustice you observe or smth. which is why i have this sense that people who grew up with very little and now have a good wage... are more likely to donate a proper amount if they can?

and then on the other hand, when you grow up poor, it idk it teaches some good intrinsic values that are far more important in the world. like how important and good it is to be oriented towards people, how important a community is, how we (the people) can support each other in so many ways.

and my goal is not to romanticise growing up poor and not having anything, but when they say that poor people are happier with less this is what they forget? because the initial knee-jerk assumption is that poor people are happier with less bcs they don't have much anyway.

i think that they just have a much more correct outlook on the true value of people and material items.

"poor people are happier with less" and "money won't buy happiness" is literally classist propaganda. stop buying into it and start making molotov cocktails