So many times people attribute other people's unhappiness to a lack of material goods but yet no one admits many of the materially rich are also very unhappy people. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6: 19-21
I grew up with challenges. Many weren’t unique to my situation. Lack of money, cars that were rattletraps, drafty old house in the city, stinky factory jobs, school was just something you had to get through before you earned money, etc. Compared to how kids grow up nowadays we should’ve been miserably glum and suicidal. Yet somehow with their shiny cars, air conditioned modern houses, Internet, and higher educations they’re the glum and we were happier. Go figure.
@GLK -- you are right. There are few among us who don't face their share of wins and losses. It's called life. And life is never linear.
Circa 2015, I remember renting our small studio apartment in NYC to a recent college graduate, a young woman, who was going to work for a bank on the Forex desk. As part of the rental application process, she needed to submit documents including proof of income which, in her case, consisted of a letter from her soon-to-be employer. I'll never forget seeing the salary -- $120,000 a year! That's a lot of money, regardless of your age.
It was then that I decided millennials and Gen Z are largely entitled, spoiled brats -- especially in the context of their grumbling about how they can never afford houses, or families, etc.
Then I watched as beloved diners and neighborhood joints (Nicola's on 1st between 54th and 55th was a favorite!) made way for Chipotles and Starbucks and stupid trendy bagel joints selling $20 sandwiches. I watched the rise of bike lanes and bus lanes -- a supposed want of these generations -- choke traffic and increase congestion, all while most young folks took Ubers to get to where they needed to go. And although I was no longer in the City when Covid hit, I heard tales of an explosion of young people going out to buy cars because they didn't actually want to share space with others or risk riding transit for fear of contracting the dreaded flu.
So yeah, $120Gs doesn't go far if you're keeping Starbucks afloat with your morning $10 latte. Someone is keeping these restaurants and clothing stores and high-end furniture places afloat.
OK, I'm painting pretty broad brushstrokes. I get it. Maybe I'm being too harsh. But then I got to thinking about all the opportunities that exist today -- for those among us who had ambition and drive 30 or 40 years ago, we would have killed to have access to literally the entirety of human knowledge with a search phrase. Or the unprecedented access to international markets. Or the ability to work in virtually in any location anywhere in the world... I mean the list goes on.
And then it dawns on me: opportunities abound like never before. The secret, I suspect, is to look up from the phone screen.
Speaking of The Who, or WHO as the case may be, look up the lyrics to The WHO’s, We Won’t Get Fooled Again. They are quite prophetic.
So many times people attribute other people's unhappiness to a lack of material goods but yet no one admits many of the materially rich are also very unhappy people. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6: 19-21
I grew up with challenges. Many weren’t unique to my situation. Lack of money, cars that were rattletraps, drafty old house in the city, stinky factory jobs, school was just something you had to get through before you earned money, etc. Compared to how kids grow up nowadays we should’ve been miserably glum and suicidal. Yet somehow with their shiny cars, air conditioned modern houses, Internet, and higher educations they’re the glum and we were happier. Go figure.
@GLK -- you are right. There are few among us who don't face their share of wins and losses. It's called life. And life is never linear.
Circa 2015, I remember renting our small studio apartment in NYC to a recent college graduate, a young woman, who was going to work for a bank on the Forex desk. As part of the rental application process, she needed to submit documents including proof of income which, in her case, consisted of a letter from her soon-to-be employer. I'll never forget seeing the salary -- $120,000 a year! That's a lot of money, regardless of your age.
It was then that I decided millennials and Gen Z are largely entitled, spoiled brats -- especially in the context of their grumbling about how they can never afford houses, or families, etc.
Then I watched as beloved diners and neighborhood joints (Nicola's on 1st between 54th and 55th was a favorite!) made way for Chipotles and Starbucks and stupid trendy bagel joints selling $20 sandwiches. I watched the rise of bike lanes and bus lanes -- a supposed want of these generations -- choke traffic and increase congestion, all while most young folks took Ubers to get to where they needed to go. And although I was no longer in the City when Covid hit, I heard tales of an explosion of young people going out to buy cars because they didn't actually want to share space with others or risk riding transit for fear of contracting the dreaded flu.
So yeah, $120Gs doesn't go far if you're keeping Starbucks afloat with your morning $10 latte. Someone is keeping these restaurants and clothing stores and high-end furniture places afloat.
OK, I'm painting pretty broad brushstrokes. I get it. Maybe I'm being too harsh. But then I got to thinking about all the opportunities that exist today -- for those among us who had ambition and drive 30 or 40 years ago, we would have killed to have access to literally the entirety of human knowledge with a search phrase. Or the unprecedented access to international markets. Or the ability to work in virtually in any location anywhere in the world... I mean the list goes on.
And then it dawns on me: opportunities abound like never before. The secret, I suspect, is to look up from the phone screen.