Oddbean new post about login | logout The Love of Money for Money's sake is a form of lacking security in oneself and their ability. I think about getting a lot of money, though its within the context of wanting to provide more value to others. Wanting wealth is different than loving wealth. Its not difficult to tell the difference when speaking to a man of questionable values and a Good man.
I suspect having a lot of money can make it harder to be a good man because you have more occasion to sin.
Big agree on that one. I like to reference Matthew 19:24 "Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” Even though it is more difficult to do, doesn't mean it shouldn't be attempted. Its kind of like a cautionary tale, be wary of the risks. Plus wealth isn't inherently bad. It enhances the visibility of a wealthy person's character.
I agree that wealth isn't inherently bad, but I prefer to gain wealth together with someone else, then to just marry into it. But maybe that's my own paranoia.
Its totally fine to have that preference. I am the strange one in my circles since I am the only person who leans into Orthodox Christianity. If the situation calls for it and I'm wealthy enough, my wife to be and their family will receive a Dower. This will be within the context of a pre-nup.
Even with a dower, the whole thing is awkward, but at least she'd feel less like a kept woman.
It took him a long time to talk me into being a SAHM and I went back to work, as soon as I could. But even so, his income is multiples of mine and it grates. Every time I do the taxes, I'm reminded of how skewed it is, and I think that's why I never want to buy anything for myself.
Its difficult to navigate these relationships and social dynamics between partners when the world is so uncertain. When I was with my ex-fiancé, I loved her to the end of the Earth, but what I saw as a total investment in our relationship wasn't what she wanted. She wanted something else, she valued something else.
Yes, it's all so complicated. I always wonder what it was like, earlier. Was it easier to navigate or did people just assume it would be difficult? Women were mostly SAHM before, so they didn't have to make that choice consciously and nobody made assumptions about them based upon their situation.
SAHD here. It is humbling doing a job that society doesn't value, to be dependent on a spouse who makes nearly double what I ever did. But that's just my pride getting in the way of enjoying a ridiculously blessed life. We all want to give our lives to something or someone, a hobby, a cause, but we want to decide what, how, and why. The trouble is that retaining that control means we haven't really given our lives to the cause. I am only miserable taking care of my 5 kids when I dwell on how important I could have been if I had had the time to program, or do some math, etc.
Yeah. Caring for dependents and keeping house is basically seen as "doing nothing". And then they lecture us all that we need to increase the birth rate and it's like, make up your mind.
Well, I think the "doing nothing" mindset is a bit more European. In the U.S. SAHMs are suspected of internalized oppression by one half and idealized by the other. SAHDs are just kind of beta.
I guess I just get depressed, sometimes. Like I have to justify my own existence.
Parenting is the only real job nature ever created. All other jobs exist to aid parenting. Sure there is a lot of nuance to that claim, some jobs are parasitic on society and some are far removed from the main goal of living, but it all comes back to replication eventually. That's why we get so upset about reproduction and education issues.
People see parenting as something done instead of having a real job. Like being unemployed.
People... are ridiculous. I don't see much point in paying them any mind. What do "real jobs" do? Contribute to the GDP? Even the jobs that actually do something are looked down upon. The next most vital job after raising the people who make up society is feeding them, yet while "farming" is idealized "farmers" are ridiculed. Plumbers at #3 also aren't anyone's ideal. The result of real work is life, the result of imaginary work is money.
Ooohhh, Bible! The eye of the needle was the entry to the market. Camels had to have all packs removed to squeeze themselves through the opening. It was a safeguard against theft. The Middle East thousands of years ago must have been a real trip!