while i completely agree with this statement, i feel like there’s this disconnect between the common man’s desire to experience what life has to offer and the hyperwealthy’s desire to exploit the masses in order to hoard resources to the active detriment of others.
i want to experience driving a fancy sports car down a big open road, the top down and the wind blowing in my hair. i don’t want a garage of 20 sports cars that i never touch.
i want a nice, comfortable, tastefully decorated house that’s big enough for me, my family, my pets, my hobbies, and any friends i might want to invite over. i don’t want a megmansion with more space than i could ever possibly use, that i only own because i want my house to be bigger than someone else’s house.
i want to experience eating the best steak dinner that the culinary world can offer. i don’t want to eat gold, which has literally no flavor, just because i can.
i want to travel to different cities around the world, see beautiful places, experience different cultures, and meet interesting people. i don’t want to buy up swathes of land and push natives out so i can build my twelfth house in hawaii or greece or somewhere else i’ll barely ever visit.
i want to dress in nice, well-made clothes that represent my style and make me feel good about myself. i don’t want to carry a thirty thousand dollar handbag or rolex watch just because it costs thirty thousand dollars.
i want to be able to give my friends gifts, i want to be able to invest in causes that i believe in, i want to be able to buy myself things like books, art, electronics, theater tickets, and nice food without having to worry about how much it costs. i don’t want to buy elections or shoot myself into space.
the average person’s concept of luxury is so far removed from the hyperwealthy’s everyday life that the distance cannot even be measured in ways that we can comprehend.
so while of course it’s more important that we work towards everyone’s basic needs being met rather than achieving luxury for ourselves, you, an ordinary person, shouldn’t feel guilty just for wanting to experience exciting and comfortable things. life should not be unyielding drudgery.
