Posts by Brandon Lopez6

Honestly, there’s zero point in arguing about this anymore.
That's all there is to it.
Once science and religion finally shake hands, we can actually just chill and enjoy the rest of our lives in peace. 🙏

Thomas Nelson25 said:So you actually believe in karma and reincarnation? I'm guessing you don't think BBog has anything to do with it?

The whole thing comes down to water volume and how the drainage works down toward the coast... but that doesn't mean prayer is useless. You gotta realize that compared to the forces of nature, humans are basically nothing—that's why religion isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Do you believe in sarcasm and messing around? 😁

Joseph Bailey41 said:Mmmm... I wouldn't say that. 😍

They were playing Foxtrot Uniform Charlie kila back when you couldn't even drop a "fuck" on MTV ☕.
I was just a kid, maybe 14 at the time ☕.

Joseph Bailey41 said:Foxtrot, Uniform, Charlie, Kill, Oscar, Foxtrot, Foxtrot. 🙂

Listening to Bloodhound Gang? Nice, real nice. 🥳
Plus you get some practice with the US military alphabet at the same time.

Respect. 👏

😛

Joseph Bailey41 said:Mhm. And then they turned around and claimed the whole thing was just in my head. 🕺

Don't go there. In some parallel universe, everything actually went perfectly fine 😳.

Thomas Nelson25 said:They might not worship them directly, but they're basically woven into the fabric of Western culture.

That’s a much bigger conversation that totally drags the focus away from the super simple question in the title 😬.

Were you one of those people who had a loan officer (or whatever they call them, I’ve never actually taken out a loan 😳) tell you straight up that it was a terrible idea, only to have your neighbor's cousin convince you it was the greatest thing since sliced bread? 🙂

I'm trying 🕺.
Right now, my biggest stressor is the potential flooding, and honestly, that's pretty much where all my thoughts are stuck.
Some neighbors already have water sitting in their yards, and back in 2014, a bunch of folks had it inside their houses. We were lucky, thank God—thanks to some smart architect who built us on high foundations—but we still ended up totally cut off from everything.
I'm currently loading up on portable power banks, just in case we hit another blackout and I actually need to charge my phone.
And look, as much as people say how stupid it is to "worry about things you can't control," there's actually a weird kind of relief in having a tangible problem to deal with, rather than just spiraling through those imaginary circles of hell I go through every single day.

Screw this 🤣🤣

Chuck is still hanging around, probably not going anywhere anytime soon, but honestly, the stuff that’s gone down over the last few days? I've seriously never felt anything like it 🤷.

Nobody’s been messing with me lately, but that doesn't mean I haven't been my own worst enemy because, well, I can be pretty self-destructive 😳.

I’ve got an appointment with my therapist on Tuesday.
I’d swallow every single pill they put in front of me just to make all of this stop 🥳.

Using social media as some kind of yardstick for actual happiness is honestly naive (and pretty toxic).

I can post selfies on Facebook or Instagram where I look like I’m having the time of my life, all while sitting at home feeling like absolute garbage.
But if someone scrolling through their feed doesn't actually know me—someone who can't tell the difference between a genuine smile and one I just forced for the camera—they’re gonna think I’m doing damn well.

Sure, you can buy a quick hit of dopamine, but for me, that high wears off fast.
Like wanderingpanther68 says—get a new iPhone or some fancy gadget, and I'll feel great for maybe two days before I get used to it and start eyeing something else.

swiftmaker722 said:And let’s be real: isn't "love" often much easier to come by when you have a deep pocket? It seems everyone just happens to adore those with a massive bank account.

Do they love them, "love" them, or are they just intimidated?

I mean, let's be real—nobody on this planet is loved by absolutely everyone they meet. But yeah, having money makes you a magnet for the kind of people who can be bought.

But look at it from another angle—what’s the point of "everyone" loving you if that one specific person you actually care about doesn't?

Jamie Adams6 said:Look—the whole point here is whether money can buy happiness. My take? In certain situations, it absolutely can—or at least it gives you a massive head start toward it. The examples I brought up are just those specific scenarios. So, if your idea of "happiness" involves getting married and starting a family—you know, the classic American dream—then yeah, money is totally tied into that. That's all I'm saying.

I'm not saying there aren't people who stay together forever without ever wanting to tie the knot or have kids—or even live together, for that matter. They're definitely outliers, but they exist.

Speaking from experience, cash alone won't fix a marriage.

Sure, maybe folks who don't want to live together are rare, but people who don't want the legal paperwork and kids? Not so much.😁.

Why are we only talking about people who want marriage and kids?

I was just talking about love, then you jumped in with all that stuff about marriage and whatnot. I don't see where the topic was limited to just traditional stuff.

Jamie Adams6 said:Nah, you won't hear that from me—that’s definitely not what I'm claiming. But honestly? I haven't met a single guy without a solid bank account who actually managed to build a real relationship under these circumstances—let alone a marriage that actually lasted and felt like something real. Now, maybe that's just my own limited experience, but still... 🤔

What exactly defines "poverty" for you?

Did none of them even have a girlfriend or any kind of serious relationship during that time?

You know, not everyone's life goal is to lock down a relationship with a wedding (especially one that turns into a total trash fest), right?

So, let me get this straight—you’re saying that by default, anyone with a fat bank account automatically finds love, while everyone struggling to pay rent is just destined to be lonely and miserable?

So, what, rich people just walk into romance by default while everyone else is stuck being miserable in love?

Isn't there that old saying about how some things are easy for some, but for the poor, it's always about the struggle for love?🤔

Sure, building a life together comes with a price tag, but love itself—that actual feeling? That’s completely free.
Or am I totally off base? Is love something else entirely? 🍿

@wanderingpanther68
I'm with you on that.

Back when I was scraping by, the constant loop in my head was always some variation of: "If I buy these apples along with this other essential thing I need for dinner, will I have anything left to eat tomorrow? But god, I really want those apples." Like, can I even split one meal into two parts and still have enough energy to actually get work done, or should I just ditch the idea of fruit entirely? Why am I even having to do math over damn apples? Did I seriously screw up my life so badly that I ended up in a spot where this is my reality?
Hyperbole aside, I’m not even a huge apple person, but the last time I was in that headspace, I picked one up three different times, only to put it back on the shelf because I wanted it so bad but couldn't justify the cost.
I didn't buy it, and I felt like garbage. But if I had bought it, I would've felt guilty for giving in to a craving for something I could technically live without. Even though it was only like $2.50.

Everything just got under my skin.
Every single thing.
Even if I did get a chance to enjoy something, it would be fleeting—maybe two bites of satisfaction—before I spiraled into worrying about tomorrow, or the day after, or what comes next.

You know that feeling of "I wish I had it, but then I wouldn't have it"?
That was exactly it.
I couldn't even appreciate the basics when I actually had them, so I’d look back on those times with this weird nostalgia, yet if I ever got that luxury back, I’d just be frustrated by how inconsistent it felt.

Back then, I found myself appreciating the people around me way more—the ones who were there even when I couldn't afford to grab a coffee (not that I'd lean on anyone, sorry, not that kind of person) or go to the movies or do anything that actually costs money.
The people who would just walk around with me or sit on park benches like we were kids, making it feel like it wasn't a big deal, just a cool way to hang out. 🙂.

I was still miserable over things that make me sad now, except now—since I have "everything I need" in terms of a roof, food, and decent Wi-Fi—the situation just feels more hopeless and heavy. Now, it's just... depressing.

Honestly, one of the few material things that actually makes me happy is my morning coffee.
Not that it makes me jump for joy every single morning or gives me that euphoric feeling where the universe feels perfectly aligned.
It just makes you feel good. It tastes nice, and it gives you a few sips of peace.
On a good day.

I guess nobody can argue that money isn't everything anymore, since you just went and gave such an extreme example of how it's everything to you.

Fair enough.

Happiness doesn't have to mean just having your basic needs met.
That’s just survival, or at least what most people call satisfaction.

And I'm not going to go on about my own bank account struggles just to prove a point to someone who's already decided they aren't listening anyway.

Only true Americans get it. Everyone else is just some bitter leftist hating on everything this country stands for.

Sam Alvarez4 - what's written above is basically the same logic you're using 😬.
Either you're with us or you're talking out of your ass and have no clue what's actually happening. Like, who even asked you? Where were you when gas prices first spiked $2.75 🙂?

🙂

Maybe we should just update the original post to say this topic is strictly for people who've actually gone broke at least once and currently pull in between x and y dollars 🙂.

PS
I’ve been in a similar spot before, but honestly, I was more frustrated that things weren't going better instead of being happy about it.
Mainly because of those spikes.

Money is a basic survival tool (unless you're one of those rare outliers who actually managed to kickstart life with zero dollars in the bank).

I feel like we don't really need to debate whether we need cash to cover rent, groceries, utility bills, and all that other stuff. It's a given.

Sure, money buys you the essentials, but does having the basics actually trigger a sense of happiness?

For those of you claiming money buys happiness just because it buys things—how many of you actually spend your mornings feeling blissful just because you have a couch to sit on or a cup of coffee in your hand?
How many of you deal with messy love lives or social drama, feeling like crap over certain things, even though your bank account covers everything you're trying to pass off as "happiness"?

By that logic, anyone with a roof over their head and food on the table should be perfectly happy, right? Does that mean they don't have the right to feel miserable because they lack family, friends, or a partner?

And how many of you who preach about "finding happiness in the little things" actually feel a surge of joy when you snag some apples on sale at Walmart because you can finally afford them?
Like, does your heart skip a beat, or a smile light up your face, making the rest of your day awesome just because you got those apples?

How many of you are surrounded by family, friends, and solid relationships while you lecture people who crave that connection by lecturing them about "happiness in the small things"?

Look, these are rhetorical questions—whatever, I don't care—but if I say money can't buy my happiness (or my health), how can someone else claim to know better than I do?

Money opens doors and creates opportunities, mostly providing the material stuff we need to function. But is that happiness?

To me, happiness is found in those tiny "things" that aren't actually objects. A genuine hug or a kiss, being there for someone, an ear to listen, or a shoulder to cry on.
For me, happiness is being able to give that to someone else with a real smile.

Everything else doesn't spark happiness in me; it just gives me a momentary hit of satisfaction.

Personally, I don't know a single person who pushes that "well, others have it harder" line when discussing problems, unless they've never faced a struggle themselves or try to soothe their own low points by thinking about kids in Africa.

It’s easy to judge from the sidelines, but I think we all pretty well know what actually brings us true joy.
For me, it isn't money.