Confusing affluence

Lots of people in my country are abundantly wealthy, and far better off status-wise than most well-off people in other places. Yet somehow the lot of us are perpetually unhappy because we think don’t have much and need more.

Anyone who’s ever made over $20 an hour, while working from home in sweatpants, with coffee nearby, knows what it's like to be privileged.

Same for anyone who’s ever owned a car, ordered food from Doordash, or filled a glass with clean, filtered water, fresh from the tap.

Indeed, if you have a surplus of money to spend on wants (not needs), time to ‘waste’ on your weekends, or get benefits from your employer alongside a regular salary, you’re among the elite.

Lots of luxury brands would have you believe otherwise. Because when you buy a luxury car or a luxury phone or a luxury watch, they benefit. So selling you on how cool it is to have those things is their job. (And they have plenty of money to spend to incite you do it.)

But no, anyone with a smartphone or a tablet or a personal computer—anyone who’s reading this right now—is wealthy beyond belief. Maybe not wealthy compared to your closest friends or family or bosses or colleagues. But affluent, prosperous, and privileged. Abundantly more than most.

And that is something to be happy about.