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**bssc** · 05-16-2007, 01:21 PM

I agree. Having lived in the 3rd World for 11 years (and Korea for 3), I appreciate the finer things in life like drinkable tap water and a roof over my head. I also agree that there is a such a wide choice of things that I can buy but don't need to.

I think that the point that you made that struck me the most is not so much how much we have but our expectations. As you noted, there are people who have a higher NW than us but expect more so they feel poor. I think that the same thing is true of your Mom and others of that generation. They have the expectation that they could be poor enough. Essentially both groups let their expectations decrease their quality of life.

I think that at the least, you (and I) have more optimistic expectations. We would not be so enamored of FIRE otherwise. We don't believe that our wealth will be taken away or the increasing wants for material things.

05-16-2007, 01:21 PM	#2
bssc Moderator Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 4,165	I agree. Having lived in the 3rd World for 11 years (and Korea for 3), I appreciate the finer things in life like drinkable tap water and a roof over my head. I also agree that there is a such a wide choice of things that I can buy but don't need to. I think that the point that you made that struck me the most is not so much how much we have but our expectations. As you noted, there are people who have a higher NW than us but expect more so they feel poor. I think that the same thing is true of your Mom and others of that generation. They have the expectation that they could be poor enough. Essentially both groups let their expectations decrease their quality of life. I think that at the least, you (and I) have more optimistic expectations. We would not be so enamored of FIRE otherwise. We don't believe that our wealth will be taken away or the increasing wants for material things. __________________ Angels danced on the day that you were born.