| I was poor, and now I'm moderately well off. You are really underselling how much it sucks to be poor. > All the money in the world won't prevent you or a loved one from passing due to an untreatable illness. Death of a family member is much more likely to happen if you are poor. Too bad you can't afford that unreasonably expensive surgery. > All the money in the world won't buy you friends or genuine respect. This is such a first world concern. Boo hoo. Also, yes, money does buy friends. When my family went bankrupt most of our friends turned their backs on us. This is a common occurrence. Ask a homeless person what happened to their "friends" when push came to shove. > It can't buy you love (though it can buy you sex). Not being poor is more important than finding love. If you want love, have some kids, and love them. > Furthermore, you don't need to be rich to avoid the hardship of being poor, you just have to make a sufficient amount to afford quality housing, food, health insurance, and minor luxuries. Please do not underestimate how hard it is for those who are actually poor to "make a sufficient amount." This seems like a good enough time as any to point out that there are like six empty houses for every homeless person in America. Or, in techie terms, "you thought domain squatting was bad..." |
These moments of clarity probably won't end up being worth enough to justify the misery of the ordeal that prompted them, and I'm not sure living through something terrible makes you stronger. It's probably more likely to do psychological damage that makes you weaker. But the experience itself is not something you can buy, and while the stories you gain are usually no compensation to you, they are the kinds of stories that can be of great value to other people.