Monday, January 12, 2009

What Is Your Life Worth?

I was reading in the news about the many rich people who have committed suicide recently due to financial losses. I can understand their despair, I can understand their fears, but money doesn't equal happiness. I feel that if a person can build up their earnings to a million, or billions of dollars, then loses it, they can build it up again. I will probably never have a million, or a billion dollars, but I am still happy. I have to work and save for things I need or want, but I still am happy. How easily people lose perspective. It's sad that these people couldn't see that there is always hope, even in the darkest of times.

5 comments:

Ramana Rajgopaul said...

Suicide is one of the most studied yet difficult to resolve problems of modern times. Many suicides truly despair of coming out of whatever it is that haunts them and decide to take their lives. I personally believe that it takes a lot of courage to commit suicide. Just think about it!

Delirious said...

I think it takes more courage to live. Most people who commmit suicide choose a quick death. They know it will all be over with in a moment, whereas living takes a lifetime of working and striving.

I heard once that the press interviewed people who had jumped off the Golden Gate bridge but survived. These people said that the second they jumped off the bridge, they regretted doing it. They realized in that split second that they had chosen the wrong path.

The other problem is that a high percentage of people who commit suicide don't succeed. They are left crippled or maimed. In addition, it is often the family members who have to clean up the mess.

From a religious standpoint, I don't believe really solves anything. I believe that the spirit lives after death. I think that the same problems that haunted us in this life will haunt us then. We may not have to worry about the problem ourselves, but we will know that our family is stuck with the problems, in addition to the grief of losing a family member. So if we are unhappy here, chances are, we will be unhappy in the next life as well.

Lindsay Logic said...

That's so sad! The problem with people that make a lot of money, is pretty soon it becomes part of their self-esteem. A part of them sees themselves as successful, only if they're doing well financially. (Don't we all measure our success like this to some extent?) I feel bad for the families. So sad.

JJJ said...

The Extremely Wealthy for the most part miss out on a lot of life. People hired to watch/raise their kids, people hired to cook,clean and do other mundane things. They miss out on family and true friends for the most part. Life is about family and friends.

As for the suicide thing, I cant say it takes courage, it mostly takes a rash decision brought on by an overwhelming feeling of failure, or the old Everyone would be better off if i wasn't around mentality. Most thought out and planned suicides fail in some way, as the long drawn out planning is a sign the person is waiting for a reason to not go on with it. Of course this doesn't reflect the religious insanity that a suicide bomber would have. Although most of them do it for the money promised their families since they mostly come from poorer regions.

All the rich peoples normal reasons is rather simple at least in my mind. Is the simple fact of not being able to live at the quality of life they are accustomed to. Most stock people dump most profit back into the market (its like a gambling addiction) and just leach off what they need when they want that 4th house on the private island. When the markets crash out, car payments, house payments, taxes on said housing and the daily insurance, and other living expenses bankrupt them normally entirely. As for starting over, most companies don't rehire previously bankrupted bankers/investors.
After eating lobster and prime rib everyday, who wants to go get McDonalds $1 menu item.

One of the many reasons i am glad to be comfortable yet grounded, and not Rich and completely oblivious as to the real world.

Max Coutinho said...

Hello again,

"I feel that if a person can build up their earnings to a million, or billions of dollars, then loses it, they can build it up again." - you are so right! I totally agree with you!

Psychologists came up with sophisticated explanations to why these people committed suicide but I didn't buy it...suicide is such a radical action, and all I can do is pray to God to take them into His bosom!

Cheers