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0 pointsTeMPOraL9y ago0 comments

I think there are two big things contributing to the lack of appreciation of the living standard:

- anything you experience daily becomes a baseline, so people keep complaining about relative differences within their wealth bracket instead of comparing to less wealthy societies

- a typical person in the West doesn't have that much time to enjoy their standard of living, having to slave away 10-12 hours a day (commute included), being burdened with mortgage and possibly other credits, and being one workplace fuckup from serious economic trouble...

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6 comments · 1 top-level

kudokatz9y ago· 5 in thread

> having to slave away 10-12 hours a day

Well, part of that is a choice to consume at a rate that requires such work. It's somewhat easy to have a nice financial position by delaying kids and not pouring money into cars and shopping ... but not many people choose that lifestyle.

The FIRE community is all about the alternatives.

guard-of-terra9y ago

Even if I choose to not consume anything, I still have to foot the bills for medicine, apartment and transportation.

And those are unpayable for many people without working overtime, even if they don't consume anything extra.

eli_gottlieb9y ago

You can't live in a van in an area as wintry as mine. A somewhat low standard of living is acceptable, but people need security.

kudokatz9y ago

I feel this argument is taking things to extremes. There are many intermediate states between living in a vehicle without heat and insisting on eating out, buying nice things, having vacations, expensive phones and plans, etc.

2 more replies

CaptSpify9y ago

FIRE community?

kudokatz9y ago

Financial Independence Retire Early

Everybody in the community has a different view of things, but for many "retire early" simply means "work on what you want to" rather than "bum around the beach all day for the rest of your life".

There are large subsections that focus on travel, giving up office jobs for being outdoors, and those that are truly much too frugal for my personal tastes.

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