Topic: Millionaire leaves message on the key to happiness on a bank receipt... (Read 8493 times)

Money absolutely DOES buy happiness - it's just not generally happiness that lasts.  My car makes me happy every time I drive it though, so sometimes it does last for a long time. 

Generally, happiness can be better achieved by not aiming high (i.e., aiming to acquire more money or things than they can feasibly achieve within a given time period).  Or, to put it another way, learning to be satisfied with what you have and what you are capable of having without having to take out a loan to get it.

I dislike it when people just flat out state that "money doesn't buy happiness", because it simply isn't true (at least for most people).  Most people would be happier if their house was paid for, and they didn't have to work a day longer in their life, but instead could focus on what they love to do.  Most people would be happier if they could afford to take their date out to a nice restaurant more than once a month.  Most people would be happier if they had a newer car, catered to their desires, instead of an 80's POS that makes them wonder if they'll be able to make it to work.  Etc, etc, etc.

When people try to buy happiness without having the money to do so is when it goes downhill fast.  Taking out loans to buy things, specifically.  Now there's a bad feedback loop to get stuck in!

Anyway, just my two bitcents.

friendly bump I really like what the OP shows

Why keep that much in one bank if the FDIC doesn't insure that much?

J.K. Schmidt makes a good point. Money IS happiness!

Well, maybe he has a few hundred millions invested already, besides of these 12 millions.

This. I looked at that statement and my first thought was "That's not freedom... That's just an incredibly bad investment"

The entire point of human existence is relationships. Money is one way to enable that... this is what people who are honest with themselves understand.

I think many of you have missed the point. This guy understood that money bought freedom. For all we know he could be dedicating the rest of his life to charity now, and he's likely doing better at it with $12 million than with $12,000. I've kind of taken a similar approach and wondered if I should focus more on it lately as well. Build something that can sustain you and those you care about, and then take care of them. Some of the most effective charities are primarily funded by people that have taken this approach, Gates, Buffet, and the Waltons. They built, built, built, and now they are spending the vast majority of their lives and fortunes on charity.

Someday maybe the likes of us will join them.

It can.  It's just that it mostly doesn't depend on you.

That being said, not being happy does not necessarily mean being miserable.


IMHO

Challenge accepted.

They were a smart bunch...even they realized happiness could never actually be attained...

This only proves he has 12 million dollars, if the receipt is legit that is. It doesnt prove he is happy or successful or anything else. Oh yeah also proves he knows how to spell and can write in English and has access to a ball point pen.. So why is he giving a load of advice? How does his advice apply to anyone else? We all have different circumstances and preferences right? Maybe he was bored.

Let me guess, you're German, right? They are never happy unless they're convinced they're unhappy.

I'd define happiness as the state of having achieved (at least some of) your life's goals. Clearly Mr. Millionaire here sees the path to his life's goals through a large bank account. You may have a different path. That doesn't make your happiness less, it's just a different means to the same end.

Well, I disagree.

I'm not a native english speaker though, so I'm not in best position to talk about word definition.  Still, I do right now consider my life worthwhile, and yet I would not say I am happy in the sense this millionaire guy we're talking about in this thread is, for instance.

Let me repeat, then, since you seem to have missed it:

If you consider your life worthwhile, you are happy.

I very much doubt this is happiness.  When I talked about it, I did not mean "transcendental joy".  I meant happiness as what I can imagine it is through its description in standard cultural stereoptypes (familly, fullfilling job, love and stuff like that).

I know what satisfaction, tranquility and thrill are.  But I would not call that happiness.   Maybe happiness is what describes what we feel when we have it all.   Then I doubt it is reasonable to hope for that.

IIRC, bouddhists believe in something they call renouncement.  I'm pretty sure that's why they don't call their ultimate goal "happiness".  It's just much more complicated than that.

"Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

The satisfaction of a job well done, the thrill of discovery at "living in the future," the sense of peace while gazing at a zen garden, all are forms of happiness. If you consider your life worthwhile, you are happy. Simply because you have not experienced transcendental joy does not mean you have never experienced happiness.

Does happiness exist, anyway?   I mean, I know some people experience it.  Good to them.  But is it really reasonable to seek for that in your life?  Can't there be more "modest" goals?   Achievement, for instance?  Peace of mind?  Or just curiosity about what this amazingly changing world will be in thirty years?

I don't remember having experienced anything that looked like happiness.  I can't say I had a miserable life, it was just "ok", I guess.

Do you really need to be happy to make your life worthwhile?

This guy is right about a few things.

I'm amazed he keeps that much money in cash though.  You need to seriously trust the USD to do that.

Seriously love your title.