What is a rich person?

[MMandM]

What threshold strikes that someone having so much they are rich?

 

If a person feels they are rich, they will amass the benefits of being rich (as least the emotional ones, which are much more rewarding and less of a hassle than the material ones anyway).

 

I think it has very little to do with any outward comparison and more to do with a comparison to one's own expectations of what and how much of something they had thought they might have one day.

 

For instance, if someone was raised in poverty, and never thought they'd rise out of poverty, but somehow did and managed to attain a middle class lifestyle, that person would probably feel rich, despite not really having an income that others around them would consider overly impressive.

 

Another person might always have believed they would become a millionaire, and if he or she doesn't, they will probably never feel they have made it or are "rich", despite having an income that others would find impressive and define that way.

 

I feel rich or blessed whenever I have more of something than I need.

 

Thoughts?

[GaryKelly]

In terms of being 'old', old is someone who is ten years your senior. I'm 62 and not old. If you'd asked me if 62 was old when I was a sprout... well, go figure. Similarly, rich is someone who has more loot than you do.

[rknapp]

The richest man is a pauper at times, when compared to the man with a satisfied mind.

 

Honestly, I believe that someone is rich when they are simply satisfied with what they have done that day. That warm and fuzzy feeling that you get at the end of the day, no longer wanting to do anything and no worries about yesterday or tomorrow. You're up for anything and you can't wipe the smile from your face. You might even cap off the day with a nice cold drink as a small self-toasting/celebration. Anything you do at this point just feels graceful and you don't care what anybody thinks. Your inhibitions are out the window without being drunk or high! Whatever it is you do, it is something that makes you happy... regardless of what it is and who it benefits.

 

When I feel accomplished or satisfied without worries for other things (my mind is clear and my stomach isn't twisting in knots from fear of something), I consider myself rich without having the material possessions that make oneself rich.

[JamesSavik]

A rich person enjoys their work, loves and is loved by their family and has personal honor and integrity.

 

It has NOTHING to do with money.

[NickolasJames8]

After my dad and stepmom's wedding, my dad gave a toast and named all of the people in our family that were there, then he said he felt like the richest man in America to love so many people. To me, that sums up the meaning of true wealth. It doesn't have much to do with how much chedder you stack.

[Bondwriter]

This is all fine and dandy, but earning enough money to pay the bills and indulge in a bit more than the ordinary chow makes your life less worrisome. I also agree having tons of money isn't a guarantee of happiness. But it helps keeping trouble away.

[Luc]

By strict definition (according to dictionary.com) rich is:

 

1. having wealth or great possessions; abundantly supplied with resources, means, or funds; wealthy:a rich man; a rich nation.

 

I think that is how most people would define

[Razor]

Haha, don't get me started about being rich. I wanna be filthy rich. I wanna be so rich it burns. Money money money money money, falling out of my ears!

 

Why do I want to be filthy rich? Years of scraping by, that's why. I wanna have the money for things I want, not things I need. Big difference there.

 

I will concede that money does not exactly equal happiness, but it's a damn good stepping stone.

 

Luc said it really well in his last sentence. I want to have enough to share without cutting myself out of the equation.

 

 

 

EDIT: Okay, I had to do a quick edit to add in a thought. It's all hunky dory to talk about being rich in kindness or love, but that doesn't pay bills, buy food, or put clothes on you. It's hard as hell to love anyone when you're worried about how you'll pay the rent or light bill. I have to say that I really believe that people who have had the luxury of having more than they need all their life just don't understand that fully. Sure, they get the concept kinda sorta, but they don't have that comprehension of exactly what it's like to be faced with the possibility of having nothing, period. It feels like you're naked, totally exposed to the world. All those careful little safety nets you've built fall down, all the eggs you nested away disappear, and suddenly you realize that you are the only thing holding you back from being utterly screwed. That's kinda scary.

[Graeme]

I think a rich man is someone who has more than he needs of the things that he values

[Mark_l]

I think a rich man is someone who has more than he needs of the things that he values

[GaryKelly]

What is this thing about linking the word 'rich' to things other than money? I venture to say that if someone talks about a rich person, we all automatically conclude that he's wealthy in terms of loot. I'm not sure I understand this attempt to turn the word 'rich' into something else. It seems to me that many peeps try to justify being poor...which I am. However, I am a happy little Vegemite despite my lack of fiscal abundance. In essence, I'd rather be a poor me than a rich someone else. :-P

[rknapp]

What is this thing about linking the word 'rich' to things other than money? I venture to say that if someone talks about a rich person, we all automatically conclude that he's wealthy in terms of loot. I'm not sure I understand this attempt to turn the word 'rich' into something else. It seems to me that many peeps try to justify being poor...which I am. However, I am a happy little Vegemite despite my lack of fiscal abundance.

 

I think it's just the nature of this forum. A large portion of the people on it generally have high moral values and would like to think that wealth is not just a term in reference to material possessions. But yeah, the other 99.999% of the worlds population instantly thinks cash money. [/pimp]

 

In essence, I'd rather be a poor me than a rich someone else. :-P

 

Well, that ties right into the first line from my first post in this thread. You're satisfied with where you are, which makes you feel rich even though you are not.

[Graeme]

What is this thing about linking the word 'rich' to things other than money?

The problem is that wealth isn't money. Consider most farmers which are asset rich but cash poor. How do you determine their "wealth"? You can use total value, but it gives an inflated value because most of their wealth is locked up in an asset that is not easily disposed of. If you go to some historical or non-western cultures, wealth isn't always cash -- cows, for example, are a symbol of wealth in some cultures.

 

Is the person who owns a multi-million dollar mansion rich, even if he has no income and he's not allowed to sell that mansion because of binding legal commitments? He has a rich asset, but he has no cash.

[Matthew]

This is all fine and dandy, but earning enough money to pay the bills and indulge in a bit more than the ordinary chow makes your life less worrisome. I also agree having tons of money isn't a guarantee of happiness. But it helps keeping trouble away.

 

 

Some studies have shown that money can increase happiness only to a certain income level. In the US, the magic figure seems to be $60,000 annual income. Once someone has attained that level, additional money is not correlated to happiness or contentment. Before that level, it can help, mainly because one may be struggling to survive or fighting with their partner over finances much more than if they were over this level.