We live in a world of natural selection where only the strong survive (or get paid more). This concept, originally applied in biology is paralleled to economics. Yet when we think of what it means to survive in a society we equate survival with success. The level of success a person has is usually determined by not his net worth but his net worth relative to the people he lives among. This means for one to become successful there must always be a less favorable position being occupied. But this is misleading. It becomes very detrimental to define success by comparison whether it be the comparison of one person to another or one person to what that person would have been able to achieve had the circumstances or era been different. If that is your demeanor than being content in life means living among people who achieved less than or equal to you. There are happy people who some would describe as poor that live to a hundred and then thirty something year olds who jump out of windows after their ten million dollar bank account losses 50% of its value. If you are a hard worker and none the less you enjoy working you will survive. Survival in no way ensures happiness because that is a condition of character not circumstance. Your labor in return will accommodate you with the goods and services you need to live well, if it didnât society wouldnât exist. Though, two problems inevitably arise from this: First is that equal amounts of labor will not always purchase equal amounts of goods and services. So when someone expects their labor to only purchase more and more, disappointment is frequently encountered. Secondly every individual defines âliving wellâ as their living conditions relative to someone elseâs which once again equates to envy.
If you are upset because of what other people have and you donât, or what was once attainable in the past which now requires more labor/education than previously, than I believe that one thing is for sure⦠you will continue to feel this way. And it will for sure take more than a policy, politician, CEO, law, tax⦠etc to change that kind of attitude. First, start by trying to appreciate waking up in the morning.