am i being greedy not being capitalist?

Question

ok, i come from a middle class family but am myself poor and could be stereotyped as somewhat of a hippie. i hae not embraced capitlism, i have chosen a life free from money/debt worry but will enevitably remain poor my entire life if my trends remain. now, since it is known that higher class people have more oppurtunities open to them because of wealth, (better schools, homes, jobs, quality of life and life lenght) am i being greedy, selfish, self rightious towards my (unborn) kids because i have chosen not to be part of capitalism? kids are the future after all.

Answer 1

So, you are choosing poverty. You are also choosing poverty for your children. Please don't pass along the burden to the rest of us. If you refuse to participate then please do not participate in any government programs or benefits programs.

I expect that you enjoy the consequences of your beliefs. If you get sick, you will not have saved money for health care. You will get sick and you will die. I have no intention of saving your from the belief system that you have chosen.

If you want to raise your children outside of the current system. Enjoy. Please don't expect us to feed, clothe or education them. If your spouse has a high risk pregnancy and you haven't found any value in saving or having money, should we let her and the child die? Or will you suddenly want the benefits of a capitalist society?

Generally, "hippies" are selective about what parts of capitalism that they will reject.

Answer 2

I have a different take on this. A person who actually owns capital is truly taking advantage of capitalism. Many of the people I see around me (whom I'd deem middle class) are NOT taking advantage of capitalism, but instead are allowing themselves to be exploited by it. They typically rent rather than own, have high debt and have no sense of saving or investing.

You need not embrace capitalism to live within a society that does. And some of the attitudes you mentioned (greed , selfishness) need not be exercised by you to succeed in a capitalist model. Actually, some billionaires in this country have left and socialist leaning political views. I think it would be wise to at least secure a home from a financial security standpoint and then do as you will with your life. I believe it would be fairly easy to live debt free outside the consumer society if you can stick to you ethical boundaries.

Answer 3

I think a more apt description is deciding whether you want to follow the "American Dream" path (an offshoot of the Protestant belief that hard work, good morals will get you a mansion on hill) or perhaps more crass, 'keeping up with the jones.'

wealth in itself is NOT a bad thing - it's what you decide to do with it. if you use your wealth to help others in small and large ways, that is noble. If you merely use your wealth on personal possession and drink a tank down the street just because you can afford one, you're just being crass.

You can be rich and teach your children morals and ethics - just as converesely, there are plenty of poor people with no ethics or morals and of course, people of all income levels who have raised their kids poorly. Look at Paris Hilton. She had a chance to go college and an opportunity to enrich and edcuate herself yet choose not to read a book or act like she's 11 years old even when she's nearing 30 and her parents certainly didn't care much either.

Of course, we also lives in a society that basically treats your occupation as your existence for being and that is hard if you reject all of that but if your convictions are true and you don't go around blaming society, there are plenty of things you can do that make you a nice living and yet contribute to society - you just have to avoid the need to go into debt to buy a powerboat, or do you really need a 7,500 sq foot house that uses $10,000 worth of electritcity a year? All you have to do is look at Bill Gates, while he collected most of his money as an illegal monopolist, at least he is giving it virtually ALL away ... he's not just buying gold plated faucets but genuinely trying to help the poor and diseased. So, it's not just about NOT making money but rather, what you do with it.

Answer 4

When your subsistence depends that you be capital, that does make you the capitalist. Most moralities say do no harm. The issue in harm of deprivation or neglect is spiritual. As long as you treat others, including your unborn kids, as ends in themselves and not merely as means to your personal ends, you shall be free of that uncertainty. THAT morality comes from spiritual certainty derived from the sense for love. The other side of that formulae is found in the following quote:

"I do my thing and you do your thing.
I am not in this world to live up to your expectations,
And you are not in this world to live up to mine.
You are you, and I am I, and if by chance we find each other, it's beautiful.
If not, it can't be helped.
(Fritz Perls, 1969)"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gestalt_prayer

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Perls

Answer 5

you will ALWAYS be greedy to the maximum extent...end this hypocrisy.

oh and asking this question is also part of being greedy to the max...you just didnt have better options when you made the decision to ask this question...does it make you moral? yes. does it make you any less greedy than a rapist?no.does it make you a better person than a rapist?no.it just makes you more moral and increases your chances of survival.

Answer 6

There is nothing wrong with wanting more. Trust me, if you force your lifestyle on your kids they will find capitalism on their own.