Quality of Life

With the (now, apparently gone) recession and wild economic events, we hear a lot of fuss about income, buyer power and public spending. These terms, along with many others, get thrown in our faces all the time by supposed financial experts. Terms like those are used to define the financial state of the country and the overall well-being of citizens.

We were raised and educated into thinking that “income” is the ultimate definition of happiness. The more money you make, the “better off” you’ll be. We don’t say “money buys happiness” because that would just be oh-so silly. But as a collective society, the ultimate goal of every individual is raising their income to the maximum possible level. That might mean climbing up the enterprise later, probably into managerial positions. You’ll then have a chance of getting your own corner office in a skyscraper in Manhattan, overviewing Central Park. Along with a chubby paycheck, all possible benefits and a company driver waiting to drive you down to that awesome sandwich parlor down the street, life is now complete. Right?

Collectively, we have forgotten that no income can cover unlimited expenses. The goal seems to be “earn more so you can buy more expensive things”. And, again, while nobody thinks that “having a lot” means happiness, we certainly see a pattern of more expensive things defining one’s happiness. Instead of a nice watch, that both looks good and works well, you need one that carries the name of that famous designer so that others can see how happy successful you are.

Social Wealth

Let me tell you what I think means quality of life. I believe that quality of life is directly related to how little you spend in obtaining quality goods and services. I do specify “quality” because I don’t mean “living on the cheap”. Quality of life is a matter of abundance not of money, but of goods and services. Not personal abundance but a social abundance. There’s no quality of life if you’re alone in it. No one can be truly happy if living in the midst of hunger and poverty.

If you look at the price of basic (remember: high quality) goods and services in the US or any other Western developed country and compare it to developing countries like Senegal or Mozambique, you’ll see that the prices are way higher in what are considered the poorest countries. So you tell me: where is the higher quality of life?

Everything You Know About Charity Is…

I’m tired of organizations and events raising money to give to the poor, and more specifically, poor countries. They’re tackling a non-issue. They’re sending money to where money is worth nothing. There is plenty of money in those countries, just being put to the wrong use. Fortunately, some recent campaigns have been tackling real issues but are still far from solving the problem. To be honest, I’m not so sure this is a solvable problem if the current political forces remain in power. I could go on and on on this subject, but I’ll just say: this is not a southern hemisphere problem; it is a world problem. And communism is, quite evidently, not the/an answer.

Back To Your Backyard

Why aren’t our governments interested in lowering the cost of goods than subsidizing spending? Why should I have to, hypothetically, get a $5 subsidy to buy a gallon of milk instead of having the government motivate more production, which will force the price down and drive unemployment down? Or why isn’t the government putting a cap on profits by certain companies, and I don’t mean on overall profit but on a per customer/unit sold basis? If we have more abundance, the market will take care of lowering the price. If not, that’s when the government should institute regulatory laws that will keep producers and resellers and avoid price fixing and other cartel-style business strategies.

You can’t live a quality life if you’re living for your paycheck (big or small). Savings are an important part of quality of life, but they’re not the goal. Education should be cheaper and still profitable. Remove useless things, keep it more flexible and agile, let students learn out in the real-world promoting internships and avoiding huge expenses from thousands of students in classrooms listening to folks who are either outdated or out of place! Heck, lower college sports budgets, like those insane salaries to football coaches. And then there’s healthcare. On that subject, I don’t think having the government (aka “all of us”) paying/subsidizing instead of the ones using it is the way to go. But if there’s abundance and the government focuses on doing its job of monitoring and regulating the individual agents of the economy in particular and of society at large, costs will be lowered. And ultimately, our lives will be able to not be income-driven, allowing us to spend more and more wisely while saving enough for unexpected situations. But most importantly, we won’t be doing that alone. Those around us will too.

Quality of Life is…

Quality of life is directly related to abundance. Abundance of everything you need, not of money to buy what you don’t need. Abundance of food so that the prices are so low anyone can afford. Promoting quality of life is done by not only stimulating (heh!) production at large but, more importantly, the production of quality goods and services. You can only consider as having achieved quality of life when you don’t have to lock doors and insure everything you own against theft because nobody will need what you have. And while that’s sheer utopia, we can certainly see how that is true when comparing a developed vs a developing country. Life quality means less hours at work, more time with the family. Means less fees and taxes everywhere yet cheaper and more accessible resources. It means that profits can be high for a business without having to overcharge. It means that the government will have enough to sustain itself without having to increase taxes. It means less foreign dependency because we’re good at what we have. It means less money spent on advertisement because people naturally share what they like. It means you’re making enough money to buy what you need, some of what you want and still save some. It means less greedy businesses (and individuals) because they are profitable and relevant. It means $1/gal gas because the alternatives are that much better. It means free roads and other public infrastructures because the government is not fighting useless wars. It means politicians work for the people not from the people. It means a small government because there’s just no need for a big one.

Yes, I too have a dream.

Personal Note

Unless you read it all, you could be thinking I’m a socialist. I’m not. I believe in capitalism and in a regulated market. I believe in profit and wealth. I also believe that a lot of the poverty is a result of a government’s poor job, both subsidizing and regulating. I believe basic goods should be almost tax-free and luxury goods should be taxed higher. I also believe that if a person is making more money, that shouldn’t be a reason to tax them more. If their earnings are legal and legit, than they should feel motivated to contribute back to society in some way. If not their conscience, society should be their judge, not the government.

OK, this post turned out to be a lot longer than I originally anticipated. It grew out of a “quotable thought” I had earlier today. Given the nature of our “Instant” society, I’m not sure how many have read this far. If you haven’t read this far, you’re the type of person that has me consider starting a section on my site with “memorable quotes” that might or might not grow into full-blown articles. If you have read this far, thank you. I hope this has helped you in some way. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Write your own thoughts and let me know where to read them. Or @me on Twitter. Or both. :)