Does poverty create unhappiness?

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WilT

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Is it fair to say that poverty creates unhappiness thus those who are poor are bound for unhappiness?

Can one also say that wealth leads to happiness since happiness comes by being satisfied and comfortable?
 
No, and no. Wealth does not correlate closely with happiness. Poor people can be happy. Rich people can be unhappy.

Wealth gives one greater power to pursue either happiness or unhappiness. With poverty, one has fewer options, but one may still be happy, and one may choose between paths leading to happiness or unhappiness.
 
I’d say it can. The long-term stress of never having any money can certainly wear on people.

I agree with what Spike Milligan said: “Money can’t buy happiness, but it can bring a more pleasant form of misery.”
 
Poverty can create unhappiness.

When you constantly worry about paying bills, keeping a roof over your head and going hungry because you can only afford to eat bread then you will be unhappy.

Define poverty though.

Work and earn £15,000 per annum and you are not in poverty, don’t work but claim £28,000 per annum tax free and you are in poverty.

Seems strange.

I think it is the constant stress that creates the unhappiness.

I think it would be worse for an atheist.
 
Happiness is more of a state of mind, rather than an authentic truth. The more content we are with what we already have in our daily lives, the more likely we are to feel happy.

😉

Both wealthy *and *poor persons can be happy. The point is to be content with what you have and setting realistic goals for further improvement. Being ambitious is great and gets people far in this world, but like all other good things, it can be deteriorating to one’s mental and emotional stability if used in a way where one creates unrealistic standards.

For example, you don’t a millionaire overnight. You take baby steps: Research things and educate yourself, use practical intelligence to notice opportunities that no one else sees, and associate yourself with meaningful peoples.

In some ways, poverty can increase happiness. Christ, the almighty, everlasting God, wasn’t born in an almighty palace, but in a stable. This may inspire some poor persons to be more concerning about being stewards of creation, rather than masters of it.
 
SpidersfromMars said:
I’d say it can. The long-term stress of never having any money can certainly wear on people.

I agree with what Spike Milligan said: “Money can’t buy happiness, but it can bring a more pleasant form of misery.”
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I have to disagree with the strict wording of the OP. Poverty does not ‘create’ anything.
Plus, remember that my ‘poor’ is still super wealthy for most of the world.

I like what David Lee Roth says on the subject…

“Money don’t buy happiness, but you can buy yourself a nice Cadillac and pull up along side of it”
 
Nelka said:
Poverty can create unhappiness.

When you constantly worry about paying bills, keeping a roof over your head and going hungry because you can only afford to eat bread then you will be unhappy.

Define poverty though.

Work and earn £15,000 per annum and you are not in poverty, don’t work but claim £28,000 per annum tax free and you are in poverty.

Seems strange.

I think it is the constant stress that creates the unhappiness.

I think it would be worse for an atheist.
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The first commandment: I am the LORD, thy GOD: thou shalt not have strange gods before Me.

If your god is wealth then money will bring you unhappiness. What we call poverty now, is not what poverty was 30,40,100 years ago. If we don’t have two cars, are we poor? I’m what most today would consider poor. there have been time when the bills out paced the money by a $100 per month. God always provided for me and I give him thanks and praise for doing so. Did I worry, yes, then I prayed to Jesus for help and mercy. He always saw me thru. Was I unhappy? No, not the majority of the time. Compared to the poor of the world, I’m spiritually a very wealthy man, and happy, and a bit overweight. My GOD is Jesus Christ.

Does poverty create unhappiness? Not if you are a servant of Jesus Christ.
 
Poverty can result in unhappiness because people are left needing food, clothing and shelter and can’t afford it. But it is not a sure thing that the poor will be unhappy. I have known many people who are poor and they are among the happiest people I know.

Wealth is not a guarantee that a person will be happy. In fact it can make people really nasty, grumpy and selfish. They might have all the material things anyone could want, but are never happy with that, never know true friendship because people are actually more interested in what they can gain financially from them, they can get greedy, paranoid about losing it all and so on. Wealth is a poor measure of spiritual well being and emotional well being.

And remember, Jesus warned us that it is easier for “a camel to pass through the needles eye, than a rich man to enter heaven.” We need to ask ourselves about that constantly and discern why this is true. I would rather be poor and get to heaven then be rich and land up in hell.
 
WilT said:
Is it fair to say that poverty creates unhappiness thus those who are poor are bound for unhappiness?

Can one also say that wealth leads to happiness since happiness comes by being satisfied and comfortable?
Click to expand...
Jesus described wealth as “deceitful”. This is because wealth can give one a false sense of security, a self-assurance and exalted self-worth (pride) that can keep one from recognizing their need for God. And this is also, BTW, why Jesus tells us that it’s harder for a rich man to go to heaven than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. Pride, for whatever reason we possess it, opposes God, while humility is the key to embracing Him. Wealthy people can be miserable. But pride may still give them a “worldly happiness” because of the freedom it brings and the status we give them. This is from the Catechism:
**
1723 The beatitude we are promised confronts us with decisive moral choices. It invites us to purify our hearts of bad instincts and to seek the love of God above all else. It teaches us that true happiness is not found in riches or well-being, in human fame or power, or in any human achievement - however beneficial it may be - such as science, technology, and art, or indeed in any creature, but in God alone, the source of every good and of all love:

All bow down before wealth. Wealth is that to which the multitude of men pay an instinctive homage. They measure happiness by wealth; and by wealth they measure respectability. . . . It is a homage resulting from a profound faith . . . that with wealth he may do all things. Wealth is one idol of the day and notoriety is a second. . . . Notoriety, or the making of a noise in the world - it may be called “newspaper fame” - has come to be considered a great good in itself, and a ground of veneration.

**
 
Nelka said:
Poverty can create unhappiness.

When you constantly worry about paying bills, keeping a roof over your head and going hungry because you can only afford to eat bread then you will be unhappy…

Seems strange.

I think it is the constant stress that creates the unhappiness.

I think it would be worse for an atheist.
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👍
 
poverty does cause stress. Let’s say you need to run and get groceries. The store is 2 miles away. Normally in a car it would take 3-4 minutes to get there. But if your poor and without a running vehicle, your walk by foot would be a long one. Let’s say you now want to watch the latest movie like everyone else but the shows are $15 a pop plus the popcorn and drinks. In poverty you simply don’t go:(. Money helps bring convenience and some peace to our days. Poverty can be difficult to handle due to the stress it brings.
 
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