Rich/Impoverished
Sometimes I feel rich. Sometimes I feel impoverished. Rich is better.
It appears that I am more rich than impoverished, so the next time I complain you should not put up with me.
Rich
- I am well-educated. I might choose to work at some service job but I hope I will never be forced into it.
- I have few expenses and no dependents. (This is HUGE.)
- I was blessed with the ability to write tests well. Concepts come easier to me than other people.
- I have money in the bank and do not worry too much even though I mess up my budget month after month.
- The government provides me with lots of infrastructure (clean water, paved roads, electricity) for an affordable price.
- I never need to go hungry. Food prices are rising but they are still relatively low.
- I eat food that is tolerable to me.
- I have a relatively safe place to live that (for the moment) I can afford.
- Even though I am not white I pass well enough as "Canadian". I have middle-class sensibilities. I speak English fluently. I have a pronouncable first name familiar to other Canadians.
- I have access to cheap computers and cheap bicycles, so when my stuff breaks I can replace it relatively cheaply.
- I live in Canada, which for all of its problems is one of the best countries in the world for me to live.
- Related to the above, I enjoy socialized health care. This is also HUGE. I am in contact with some people in the USA and anxieties around health insurance dominate their lives.
- Related to the above: I can afford to be poor.
- I don't need access to a car in order to get by (I think). That is a huge savings.
- The worst effects of the Calamity have not yet hit, and more importantly have not affected me directly.
- I have not yet lost somebody really close to me in life.
- Although my health is in decline I am mostly healthy. I do not suffer from major allergies. I am able to walk and ride my bicycle. I can even go on long 90km bike rides for fun.
- There is more entertainment available to me for free than I can consume. There are blogs on the internet. I can attend talks at the university and elsewhere (and sometimes there is food at these events, which is a mixed blessing but could be good from a budget standpoint). I can go to the (taxpayer-funded) parks and relax. I can take bicycle rides into the country. I can volunteer at any number of organizations both in town and in the country. I have access to public libraries and free library books.
- The countryside is relatively accessible.
- I am not in debt.
- I have access to Buddhism podcasts for no charge.
- I am not persecuted for my sexuality.
- As a human being, I have rights and privileges not extended to other beings (eg a mosquito, a weed in the garden, an orangutuan). I am near the top of the food chain. I need not live my life in fear of predation.
- I have time to pursue leisure activities like this blog.
Impoverished
- I may be unemployable. I am in much less demand than I thought I would be.
- I have a thin skin, a bad temper, crippling anxiety issues, and mild to moderate depression.
- I will likely spend the rest of my life alone.
- I have no self control, particularly with eating or internet use.
- I am not religious and have no guiding force in my life.
- I feel deprived every week and every month because I blow my budget. I feel I can afford to spend a dollar here and there, but even five dollars is something I have to think about.
- I will never be able to afford retirement.
- My support network is weak. Internally I feel that I have no support network, although empirical evidence suggests this is not true.
- I am facing diabetes in the face. Other health problems are on the horizon. Maybe I will get cancer or some other awful disease.
- I will never be able to afford things people around me take for granted (new electronics, a house or condo, a car, nice vacations).
- I will probably not arrange to replace my missing tooth, because $5000 is a large amount of money for me now.
- I do not fit in very well into any tribe. I feel like an outsider everywhere.
- I do not trust capitalism and so deny myself its benefits.
- I am bad at selling myself, so nobody trusts that I can do a good job at anything.