The Power of Money

Money provides a sense of freedom, and that’s what really matters. You get to spend your time on actual interests and hobbies instead of just grinding away like a cog in a machine to pay the bills... working for someone else just to stay afloat. Of course, we live in a materialist society and cash is necessary, but personally, I’d abolish it if I could. Everyone would be happier. Sadly, it's just a pipe dream.

Money serves as the ultimate yardstick for everything appearing on the market; it’s the universal currency used to trade for any other goods. Because of this, acquiring it becomes an absolute necessity if you want to secure life's essentials—things like housing, food, clothing, healthcare, and education. Beyond the basics, it’s also the gateway to luxury and various pleasures. Sure, you could technically bypass the market by foraging from nature, receiving gifts, or even resorting to theft... the end goal remains the same: satisfying your needs. Ultimately, having capital grants you leverage in the marketplace, which translates almost directly into social power. In today's world, being completely broke essentially means you're struggling just to survive. It isn't surprising that money is a primary factor in many things and an indirect factor in everything else; it shapes the very fabric of one's life. Metaphorically—or perhaps quite literally—those with wealth tend to be stronger, healthier, more long-lived, more attractive, more intelligent, and more interesting. They often enjoy more noble pursuits, more active social lives, greater mobility, and higher levels of overall happiness compared to those living in poverty. It's such an obvious reality that it hardly feels worth debating. I find it uninteresting to dwell on.
I would have expected the conversation here to focus more on the actual consequences of that reality. We should be discussing self-confidence, security, social standing, mental health, and interpersonal relationships. We could look at money as an aphrodisiac or its impact on one's sex life (since reproduction is the fundamental drive, while food is merely a supporting function), or even examine money as a tool of psychological dominance. Of course, it isn't all black and white—we have to account for money acting as a fetish, or driving greed and stinginess...

Money is honestly a nightmare, isn't it? Sometimes I feel like every single problem we face starts with cash. I can't even stand being around ultra-wealthy people; their whole vibe just triggers something weird in me. Honestly, deep down, I think I might just be a total socialist 😁 who’d rather see all that wealth redistributed equally among everyone on the planet. A colleague of mine once had this idea about building some insanely smart AI program to handle the global redistribution of assets, which actually sounds pretty cool. I don't even want to be rich by default because I'm terrified it would change me for the worse and make me even lazier. I'm better off living like this, working for what I need to get by. If I suddenly had a massive surplus, I'd probably just blow it on eco-friendly stuff, obsess over animal rights 😁, drive a Tesla, go full solar power, and basically become this huge environmental eccentric. If I ever hit the jackpot on a Powerball ticket—though I've never played, so who knows how I'd even 😂—I'd probably start my own business. It would be fun to build a successful company from the ground up. Maybe I'll do it one day, but I'm way too lazy for all that grind; I'd much rather just chill and enjoy the little things. I value my free time too much.

Everything shifted for me once I landed a steady 9-to-5. I stopped stressing about money constantly and finally started relaxing. Back when I was at NYU, the pressure to balance studying with working was absolutely brutal. It was exhausting—it actually got so bad once that I ended up getting sick right in the middle of the street from pure stress. And looking back, it was all just because of the money struggle.

There’s this really fascinating show playing over on US 3 right now, so if you have a chance, definitely tune in.

Democracy & Culture

TOPIC: Is money actually a public good?

Noam Chomsky once said: "It's a bigger crime to start a bank than it is to rob one."

"Money gives you a sense of freedom, and that’s the bottom line. You actually have time for your own interests and hobbies instead of just grinding like a slave to pay off bills and buy groceries without ever being the boss of your own schedule. You’re basically working for someone else just to stay afloat. Obviously, we live in a materialistic society and cash is necessary, but personally, I’d abolish it. I think everyone would be a lot happier. Unfortunately, that's just a pipe dream."

Jupiterian symbolism says otherwise


And this stuff is thousands of years old. So please, spare me all this philosophy talk. Where exactly have you guys been when it comes to actual philosophy?

And what exactly would you abolish? Just the fact that you weren't born under Jupiter's sign?🙂

LOL

Just loaded up my account for the Powerball. If only I could reach a point where money didn't matter to me. 🤣

I have an acquaintance living in my neighborhood who is incredibly wealthy. He’s in his late 30s, has a wife and kids, and while he doesn't own his own company, he serves as an executive at a major corporation—and honestly, who knows what else he's involved in behind the scenes.

To give you an idea of his assets: he owns two houses worth maybe $1.1 million each, two cars valued at around $110,000 apiece, and a massive ranch out in Montana with about 50 acres of land. Now, word just got out that he recently picked up roughly five acres of prime residential real estate with an incredible ocean view, valued at approximately $2.7 million. That’s just what we know; God only knows how much more wealth and property he’s sitting on.

It makes me wonder: if a man has this kind of money, and if he just dropped over $16 million on land alone, why is he still grinding away at such a high-stress job that eats up all his time? On top of that, he’s investing in stocks and potentially other ventures. My kids often play over at his house, and they tell me that whenever they visit, he’s never actually there—it’s just his wife and the kids at home. Just think about it: if he simply put that $2.7 million into a high-yield account with a 4-5% annual return, you could calculate the interest yourself. It would be more than enough to live a completely carefree, relaxed life.

If you found yourself in a situation where you had that kind of capital, what would you do? Would you keep pushing through a high-pressure career, or would you choose to live like royalty on the interest alone, spending every moment enjoying life with your wife and children?

There’s this thing called a work ethic. You know, that drive to actually win at life, leveling up, being ambitious. It’s pretty rare to find self-made millionaires who just sit on their hands once they hit their number. If I were in your shoes, I’d be acting just like that neighbor of yours. Let’s be real—if he didn't have that hunger, he probably wouldn't even have the money in the first place. Personally, I'm totally fine with someone constantly raising the bar for themselves.

It isn’t about having a strong work ethic; it’s about the thrill of the chase.
A guy does this because civilian life is just plain boring—grinding from paycheck to paycheck for a salary or interest, whatever. It's monotonous.

He’s driven by those daily hurdles, that constant need to outsmart the next obstacle in his path. And let’s be real, he’s clearly not a family man at heart. Sure, he might be married with kids, but plenty of guys play that part just to maintain an image. It doesn't mean they actually care; it's just part of the persona.

Look, obviously they love their kids, but that doesn't mean they actually want to hang out with them all day. They aren't some different species compared to regular, working-class folks. It’s the same everywhere—I mean, how many young people do I know who actually *want* to spend their weekends with their parents? I’m positive the love is there, no doubt about it... they just find them a little boring, honestly.

The real issue is wealth; it's incredibly hard to maintain without constant, grinding effort. Unless you're a total business prodigy or someone extremely frugal, that money just evaporates. And even then, it's not like cash is the actual goal. Success in business gives you the exact same adrenaline rush as being an athlete—and nobody bats an eye when pro athletes push themselves to the limit, trying to be faster or stronger than everyone else, even if it costs them their health or their lives. From the handful of executives I actually know personally... man, they have such a hard time relaxing. Like, they can't even step away from the office during vacation without checking in. Sure, they'll enjoy the trips and the fancy dinners, but they never truly let go of the reins for more than a couple of days. They get twitchy, anxious...
I don't know, I'm not an adrenaline junkie myself. I could never justify that kind of lifestyle; I wouldn't want to be in their shoes. You get this feeling like a heart attack is just waiting around the corner.

I can totally relate to the guy in the original post, and honestly, based on everything I know about life, I’ll tell you right now: there really isn't any high quite like the smell of money.

Once you finally get a taste of success and see that money hitting your account, you can't help but feel this sudden, intense craving for even more.

Money is honestly one of the most effective tools for social control out there, especially when you see how certain minority groups leverage it against the majority. It’s kind of wild when you think about it, because originally, the whole point was just to make exchanging 😢
a whole lot smoother. That’s just my take if I’m stepping back to look at the big picture, you know? If I’m just looking at my own life on a smaller scale, then yeah, money is basically just the thing that lets me live a little better.

"Money corrupts people," "money is just a tool for control," and all that blah blah blah. Look, I get it—it's true—but we can't exactly survive without it. Personally, thank God I've never been in a spot where I couldn't actually afford to exist, but even so, I still get pretty annoyed when a month or a year rolls by and I realize I can't swing something I could have easily treated myself to last year or whenever.

I’ve always been a saver, but I wouldn’t call myself stingy—though honestly, I don't even see being frugal as a bad thing anymore.

Next year marks the 30th anniversary of July 13, 1985, and that massive Live Aid concert.

Do any of you older folks remember what that whole era felt like?

I was reading that back then, rock music really had a mission to unite people. These recent floods have at least brought humanitarian efforts back into the news, which usually feels like something we only care about around Christmas.

I also came across some pretty heavy comments online lately. People were saying it’s shameful to just sit there sipping coffee and eating burgers while folks nearby are struggling to save whatever they can, if they can even save it at all.

At the end of the day, dollars and cents are just scraps of paper. Even The Beach Boys have that great song about how everything eventually fades away under the snow and the brush.

I hit that milestone a long time ago and moved right past it. Honestly, life gets a lot easier when you stop sweating the small stuff. You start focusing on the bigger picture instead of living under constant pressure... you just keep moving because you’ve already cleared one level

But I got stuck at a different stage

At the end of the day, whether someone is chasing 100 or 1,000, the struggle is identical. It would be great if everything was just a click away, but there is no God coming to save you. It’s nothing but hard work until you actually make it. Ironically, the people closest to their goal usually suffer the most. Even money doesn't matter if you miss the mark. Same goes for a relationship. There’s nothing worse than working your tail off for a girl only to have someone else swoop in and take her. You want to thank God or her brain for staying loyal to you and then suddenly deciding to jump to someone else overnight? Forget it. Thanks for all that effort I put in before 🙂 but nobody sees your scars—you're the only one who sees them

Having enough to live comfortably is the goal. If I can identify ways to intelligently invest it into something productive, then having even more becomes quite desirable.

restlesstiger48 said:"Money corrupts people," "money is just a tool for control," and all that blah blah blah. Look, I get it—it's true—but we can't exactly survive without it. Personally, thank God I've never been in a spot where I couldn't actually afford to exist, but even so, I still get pretty annoyed when a month or a year rolls by and I realize I can't swing something I could have easily treated myself to last year or whenever.

We live in a consumerist society. In that sense, money is as unavoidable as oxygen. People here seem to talk about wealth as if it were some kind of aphrodisiac or a lucky charm. But you don't need to be some Wall Street tycoon to enjoy life—it's a matter of character. Some people find joy in a cheap burger, others in a five-star steakhouse. The real issue is that we're constantly being bombarded by this lifestyle through the media and everything else...