# What does being rich symbolise to you?



## Splash Shin (Apr 7, 2011)

interested in how this is answered by different types.
for this reason please post before you read this thread. no good having anything influence your answer.


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## Swordsman of Mana (Jan 7, 2011)

- power
- the ability to buy your way out of mundane, painful or un-sexy activities which would otherwise be responsibilities
- the ability to take good care of yourself 
- the ability to take good care of your children and make sure they get all the advantages this world can give them
- vacations, nice clothes, good food
- not having to stress about bills


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## Swordsman of Mana (Jan 7, 2011)

server lag


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## s2theizay (Nov 12, 2014)

That you have money. A lot of it.


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## Janovich (Apr 9, 2014)

Depends on the money. Old money symbolizes fortune. New money symbolizes success.


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## aurly (Jun 15, 2014)

Probably got lucky.


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## Entropic (Jun 15, 2012)

Associate it first to having plenty of monetary possession; thinking further about it, I could also see it as a matter of having a rich character or rich life experiences and the like. Richness really just represents or symbolizes something of abundance, really.


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## WickerDeer (Aug 1, 2012)

What I associate with being rich:

Ability to own a house in the community I grew up in.

Not having to worry very much about paying the bills.

Not having to worry about possibly being homeless or unable to purchase medical care...or being secure in old age, accidents, or various transitions (unemployment, moving etc.).

Being able to provide for my father in old age.

Being able to help family.

Being able to travel.

I am sure being rich is a lot more than that--fears and things as well. I like to think that if I were to be rich, the best way to spend that money (after family and purchasing a home) would be to start various coops and ethical businesses...perhaps a fair trade business or an eco-tourism endeavor would be really cool.


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## charlie.elliot (Jan 22, 2014)

*Freedom to do amazing things like travel, buy exotic animals, etc
*Freedom from worry of how to budget money 
*The ability to help family members or friends who need it


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## Splash Shin (Apr 7, 2011)

for myself "being rich" symbolises freedom mostly.
Everything else i can think of is just a sub category of that.


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## mushr00m (May 23, 2011)

Living in a nice, clean area, picturesque.
Long-term financial security. 
Using some of it to finance a few things in poorly developed countries like fresh water, farming tools and with education to give head start.
Nice clothes and just other stuff that it'd be cool to have. Holidays.


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## Quang (Sep 4, 2014)

First thing that comes to mind?

-Freedom
-Not having to worry about survival and safety.


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## zinnia (Jul 22, 2013)

Freedom. Choice. Time. Power and independence, in the sense that I have something others need AND no longer need to pander to others to survive. Security: knowing, for once, that I am not at the mercy of another, that if I screw it up, it was largely my own fault (which, though this means a lot of responsibility, also means _I am in control_).


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## Inveniet (Aug 21, 2009)

Space to chill within.


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## Darkbloom (Aug 11, 2013)

-power and people being jealous 
-being able to afford nice things 
-never having to do chores 
-not having to worry about money

Some image type, but probably not 3


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## Morfy (Dec 3, 2013)

Making a profit off a system that is based on exploitation and unfair trade.
If you don't give most of your wealth back to the community it also symbolises a complete lack of solidarity and morality.


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## Capellia (Jun 4, 2015)

- Having the monetary wealth that gives you financial security *you* need/want (this means that you can in reality be rich with millions or tens of dollars in the bank)
- Having the resources that gives you the daily life *you* need/want (same with this; some need more, some less)
- Having freedom to do things that matter to you; donate to fundraisers/research/charity etc., build schools/wells in poor countries for instance or personal things like travel, learn, experience etc.


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## Highway Nights (Nov 26, 2014)

That you can travel first class. That you can take a Caribbean cruise whenever you feel like it. That you can own not just one cabin in the mountains with a swimming pool, but several.

Also, a certain degree of skill with personal finances. There are some exceptions to that though, like Donald "I've filed for bankruptcy four times" Trump.


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## Finny (Jul 17, 2015)

I've never had a desire to be rich; if anything it's a turn off. It just seems excessive. Who would want that type of money? I can't imagine a good person.

- Greed
- Glory
- Power
- Prestige
- Manipulation
- "Working the system" 
- Laborer
- Entitlement


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## Mr inappropriate (Dec 17, 2013)

Luxuryy !! Like a long ass shiny yatch and I dont even like being on sea.

housekeepers and ferrari's. Travelling as much as you want.


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## Finny (Jul 17, 2015)

Swordsman of Mana said:


> because having more is fun, exciting, more comfortable and allows you to extend your life.
> 
> 
> everyone deserves a base amount of respect and dignity, but that doesn't mean everyone should be treated the same.


We obviously have different values. I don't base my amount of fun, excitement and comfort on money as long as I'm stable enough to provide for my needs; even so, I would take less than stable if I was doing something I loved with good relationships with the people in the environment I'm in.


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## Swordsman of Mana (Jan 7, 2011)

Finny said:


> We obviously have different values. I don't base my amount of fun, excitement and comfort on money as long as I'm stable enough to provide for my needs; even so, I would take less than stable if I was doing something I loved with good relationships with the people in the environment I'm in.


then what do you derive "fun" from? the main difference between us is not that I don't derive fun from cost effective strategies when possible as much as that I value fun more in the first place


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## Arzazar Szubrasznikarazar (Apr 9, 2015)

Finny said:


> I wouldn't want to spoil myself when I know others are out there homeless, sick, hungry, etc. I also see no need to spoil myself. Why would I want more than I need/suits fine?
> Someone who is rich doesn't have to earn their money, they can be born into it. As well as I don't think anyone deserves special privileges; everyone should be treated equally.


Not to mention that often one becomes rich by depriving the employees of their share.


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## Swordsman of Mana (Jan 7, 2011)

Arzazar Szubrasznikarazar said:


> Not to mention that often one becomes rich by depriving the employees of their share.


then they should move to another employer who will pay them better or develop more in-demand skills. your "share" is whatever you agree to in the contract. they don't have an obligation to pay you enough to live like they do


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## Philathea (Feb 16, 2015)

Doesn't symbolize anything to me, just means raking in the mula *cha ching*

4w5 so/sp, I believe


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## Finny (Jul 17, 2015)

Swordsman of Mana said:


> then what do you derive "fun" from? the main difference between us is not that I don't derive fun from cost effective strategies when possible as much as that I value fun more in the first place


So, "fun" is lavishing yourself in things you don't really need while ignoring the suffering in the world of those who your excessive money could have helped? How about fun from friendship? How about fun from having a passion for what you do? How about fun from learning new things? Etc, etc.


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## aurly (Jun 15, 2014)

Finny said:


> I wouldn't want to spoil myself when I know others are out there homeless, sick, hungry, etc. I also see no need to spoil myself. Why would I want more than I need/suits fine?
> Someone who is rich doesn't have to earn their money, they can be born into it. As well as I don't think anyone deserves special privileges; everyone should be treated equally.


Giving someone free money just because they don't have any isn't treating them equally, though. But I don't believe in equality anyway. We aren't all the same. And we shouldn't be treated as such. Help those that you think will benefit, but don't throw pearls before swines.


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## Notus Asphodelus (Jan 20, 2015)

- When you give things away, wealth will be returned to you in another form. It's called networking.
- If I were rich, finding resources to build upon a goal is not going to be time-consuming.


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## Blindspots (Jan 27, 2014)

Abundance of wealth seems like another chain to society and obligation. 

Yes, wealth does afford power and opportunities. But there are rules on how to use it, some logical, some arbitrarily expected by culture. Some that I'd prefer (investment, making living a bit more convenient), some I'd rather not do (be the target of crab mentality and have people gossip that it's all dirty money).

It sounds stodgy, but I'd rather have worked to earn, and even then I wouldn't be able to objectively determine if what I earn is commensurate to the work I do. 

Money, even on an individual level, seems to be more complicated than just being currency.


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## Swordsman of Mana (Jan 7, 2011)

Finny said:


> So, "fun" is lavishing yourself in things you don't really need while ignoring the suffering in the world of those who your excessive money could have helped?


for the most part, yes (though I don't exactly want LOTS of things, just a reasonable amount of _high quality_ things). ideally, I'd like to make enough money to where I can eventually give a lot without having to compromise my lifestyle. looking out for yourself and looking out for others are only antithetical below a certain income, but until I get that income, I feel absolutely no guilt in pampering myself. 



> How about fun from friendship?


I'm not opposed to that



> How about fun from having a passion for what you do?


well, based on surveys, only about 6% of American workers are passionate about what they do. if you can find a job that pays a living wage which you are passionate about, more power to you, but.....good luck with that lol.

also, by your logic, wouldn't it be more selfish to do that than to get a higher paying job which you don't like and be able give more to the impoverished. 



> How about fun from learning new things? Etc, etc.


that can be fun too, but generally I like to actually be able to do something with it


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## Swordsman of Mana (Jan 7, 2011)

Thymic said:


> Abundance of wealth seems like another chain to society and obligation.
> 
> Yes, wealth does afford power and opportunities. But there are rules on how to use it, some logical, some arbitrarily expected by culture. Some that I'd prefer (investment, making living a bit more convenient), some I'd rather not do (be the target of crab mentality and have people gossip that it's all dirty money).


if you have that much money and power, the opinions of all the lemmings are irrelevant 



> It sounds stodgy, but I'd rather have worked to earn, and even then I wouldn't be able to objectively determine if what I earn is commensurate to the work I do.
> Money, even on an individual level, seems to be more complicated than just being currency.


I can understand wanting the feeling of pride which comes from doing it yourself, but you don't have to feel guilty because someone helped you a little bit. everyone needs a little help, it's not something to be ashamed of.


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## Splash Shin (Apr 7, 2011)

Finny said:


> So, "fun" is lavishing yourself in things you don't really need while ignoring the suffering in the world of those who your excessive money could have helped? How about fun from friendship? How about fun from having a passion for what you do? How about fun from learning new things? Etc, etc.


If you are implying you do not have fun doing something like.. i dont know... theme parks, dancing, seeing your favourite movie on a big screen, or any other objectively or subjectively fun activity simple because there are people who are in pain right now, I think you are denying it for your point here, or you may be suffering from depression.

Its pretty much the same concept as saying "I don't think this ice cream tastes nice, simply because there are people out there who can't have it.".


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## Bathilda (Nov 4, 2014)

I don't really get the use of the word "symbolize." Are you trying to ask what associations I make when I see a rich person, or are you asking what "being rich" would mean for us? Or are you asking what we would do if we were rich?

For the first: if *all* I know about someone is that they're very rich, and I didn't know their personality, gender, history, etc., I guess I would unfairly assume they are a greedy or materialistic person.

For the second: for me, being rich means having enough resources to live safely and comfortably in attractive surroundings and not have to worry about the future. I'm a big believer in "a man is rich in proportion to what he can do without."

For the third: I'd be one of those crazy people who builds a disturbingly quirky house in the woods somewhere, amasses a giant collection of whatever pops into my head, and encourages tourists to stop by for a tour. I'd serve lavish dinners and take my friends on frequent vacations and probably get into fights on Twitter about the obligations of the rich. I really like the idea of just anonymously sending money to people or organizations who need it and never saying a word about it. If I weren't quite *that* rich, I'd like to open a shelter for abandoned elderly animals.


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## 1000BugsNightSky (May 8, 2014)

Success.
Lifetime stability and happiness.


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## 1000BugsNightSky (May 8, 2014)

Hiring a personal accountant.


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## ShadowsRunner (Apr 24, 2013)

For me it has come to symbolize: Security; above all else. 

And the only reason I really care about it. The world is full ignorant, bitter people, who will all but willingly enforce their complications on you, for often no reason other then you are there. No thanks, I just want to keep distance from this crazy world.


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## WardRhiannon (Feb 1, 2012)

Being rich means freedom to do whatever I want: travel, buy clothes and books, buy a different car, buy a house, donate to charity, start a charity or scholarship fund, and spend time focusing on what I want to do.


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## Swordsman of Mana (Jan 7, 2011)

Splash Shin said:


> If you are implying you do not have fun doing something like.. i dont know... theme parks, dancing, seeing your favourite movie on a big screen, or any other objectively or subjectively fun activity simple because there are people who are in pain right now, I think you are denying it for your point here, or you may be suffering from depression.
> 
> Its pretty much the same concept as saying "I don't think this ice cream tastes nice, simply because there are people out there who can't have it.".


^this. expensive cruises, jumbo jets, frequent trips to Tahiti and mansions in Malibu aren't for everyone, but everyone can enjoy a well deserved vacation to a different country, a comfortable mattress, tickets to see their favorite band/opera/orchestra, a healthy diet (yes, eating healthy is very expensive and a privilege afforded to those who can pay), some gourmet ice cream from the store or a decent car (this is excluding the things which are bare necessities, but some of those are also quite expensive sometimes)


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## Darkbloom (Aug 11, 2013)

Why is this even being discussed?
If you have money you can spend it on anything as long as you aren't hurting anyone and doing (very) illegal things.
No one gets to decide how you have fun and use _your_ money. Doesn't matter how it's earned, it's your money, why would I live like I can't afford something just because some people can't afford it?


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## Macrosapien (Apr 4, 2010)

one of the best tools.


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