So ever since I quit Twitter and have nearly quit FB, I've been spending my social media time on Tumblr or Reddit. (I highly recommend Tumblr, btw, which is the best social media site still in existence.)
I knew they were looking for 'advice' like, "If you stop buying coffee and save that $5.00 instead," or "Getting a second job will" or "cook your own meals because," but as someone who used to be poor and who is now newly rich (okay, sort of rich), I decided to chime in. I said this:
That having money makes life much easier. I was lower middle class most of my life. Now I have enough money. It's just amazing. I don't have panic attacks when we have medical problems, I can buy fresh fruit, high gas prices annoy me, they don't destroy me.
Anyone who says money can't buy happiness is trying to sell you something.
I got lots of likes -- more than I have ever received on a Reddit post -- but I also go a lot of argument.
Money does not buy happiness, people told me, because look at all the miserable rich people.
Money does not buy happiness, they said, because it can't buy family or friends.
Money does not buy happiness, because money actually makes people UNhappy.
Also, my favorite: "Poor people can buy fresh fruit lol"
My favorite was the comment that accused me of being out of touch with what being poor was like.
Anyway, I'm here to say that while it is true money can't buy a happy family or cure your depression, it can certainly go a long way toward alleviating anxiety, which apparently was 90% of my depression.
Also, being able to buy all the fresh fruit I want is nearly as nice as being able to buy all the books I want.
I've certainly known rich people who are assholes (I'm thinking of two specific people here), but they also seem pretty happy. I guess because they think their wealth vindicates their contempt and bigotry? I don't know.
Does having money make people happy? What do y'all think?
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