I am getting to the point on RJsCorner that I post about anything I want to. Today I feel like talking about money and it’s effects on life. What better place to learn about that than quotes from those wiser than us?

Let’s start off with a well-known poet who live lived alone in a shack at Walden Pond for two years. One of the things he came out of that experience with was the quote above. But, this quote brings up an even more profound question, and that is, what is a “necessity of the soul? Thoreau was one of the metaphysical poets of the 18th century who often spoke of emotional states, and that topic is mostly beyond me. But, I do enjoy some of his poems. I, personally, can’t imagine living in a shack surrounded by nothing but wilderness for a week, let alone two years. I am totally addicted to my Internet explorations. But, it is kinda nice to think that money is just not essential to living a good life.

Those who have lots of money, just never seem to be any happier than the rest of us. I recently read an article, I think from the New York Times, that people who make an annual income of $100,000 and more just don’t think they can live happily on that amount of money. I come from humble beginnings, and continue to see money from that worldview.

Yeah, there are people like Jeff Bezos, Steve Jobs, and Elon Musk who earned their billions on their own, but a big percentage of those who are in the top 1% of American wealth inherited their wealth. I can’t understand why so many don’t expect those folks to divvy up in percentage of their wealth to the common good. After all, doesn’t it say somewhere in the Bible, “For those who are given much, much is expected” or something like that?

Isn’t that the truth, especially in countries like the U.S. who don’t have universal healthcare. In this case, maybe money does buy a longer life, but is it really a life better than those who make less?

My father was a single parent milkman who literally lived paycheck to paycheck. I can remember more than once when we went a week or more without electricity because he simply had no money to pay the bill. A frugal mentality has lived with me all my life because of my early experiences.

I am fortunate enough to have a 30-year pension that helps me pay for the space where I now live. Without that, and my frugal savings over a lifetime, I would not be able to afford to live here.