Standard of Living..........according to you!!!

Gooseberry · Apr 20, 2010

What according to you is standard of living ?

I mean I am not looking for dictionary definition but what is it that you think is standard of living and are you ..........on level, above or below it ?????

According to me standard of living of a person/family is the condition/situation where the family/person is utmost happy with.
I think wealth,riches,comforts,luxuries cannot give that happiness to a person/family. May be to a certain extent material things give a comfortable life but the charm in them fizzles out over time.

And I think my family is on level in this aspect......according to what I think is standard of living.

Pls share your side.....

Malavika81 · Apr 21, 2010

Well fortunately or unfortunately, standard of living is defined by certain metrics based on your personal level of material comfort and where you live in the world and what things you have access to.

Happiness is a very relative term and it cannot be quantified and there is no such thing as utmost happiness. There is always that one more thing that can make you more happy. And happiness is only temporary and it comes and goes in life many times and life is always in a state of flux.

It is hard to define standard of living outside of the conventional metrics as lot of things like happiness and satisfaction cannot be quantified. A guy who gave up all material possessions including his clothes, sever all emotional ties to everyone he knows and decided to become a Swami and roam the slopes of Himalayas is probably happier than most people who have all the creature comforts. Does that mean he has a high standard of living? Maybe. Maybe not. It is entirely subjective and depends on what reference plane you are viewing him from.

Standard of living is hard to quantify outside of defined metrics, so I really do not have my own definition of standard of living without any concretely defined metrics.

Gooseberry · Apr 21, 2010

Yeah Malavika I understand what you are saying. Happiness cannot be quantified and standard of living is always defined by certain metrics which are based on the comforts.

See, some people are happy and satisfied with less and some aim for more material comforts. But people who are satisfied with less are usually the ones who have less material comfort items with them. And people who are not easily satisfied have more. That is all understood. But apart from that, we have something called inner happiness with whatever we have. Some always grumble and compare themselves and are rarely happy. I feel their standard of living is less compared to ones who are happy with whatever they have and make best use of their resources.
OK, here let us not consider people renouncing the world or really downtrodden ones who cannot make one square meal a day.
After the basic necessities are met it is the question "how much is enough?" that comes into picture and that is what I am talking about.

Yeah, I know this is complicated way to think and measure the standard of someone's life and living. Because what is enough for one may not be for the other.

OK finally let me put it this way .... just tell are you happy with what you have?

raji2678 · Apr 21, 2010

My standard of living, in the materialistic sense is as follows
1) Own accomodation,with enough space for all family members like 2BHK if there are 2 couples in the house
2)Able to buy good food, plus eat out once in a while
3) Able to pay for regular maintenance of property, including cleaning services for routime chores
4) Enough money to save so as to continue with the same standard of living after retirement
5) Access to newspapers, satellite TV, internet outings once in while
6) Access to an efficient public transport OR able to pay for your own transport.
7) Workplace situated at a place where we do not have to travel much.

The non-material aspects are the MOST important, because if this is not there, the material ones are of no use
Being loved and respected by your family
A secure neighbourhood

Raji

Malavika81 · Apr 21, 2010

OK finally let me put it this way .... just tell are you happy with what you have?
Click to expand...

Uhmm Yes to that. I am happy with what I have compared to most people in different parts of the world. I have faced problems but they are probably very minor compared to what most people in the world face just to survive. In that aspect, I have to be happy and content.

But here is the caveat though. Do I want more material comforts? Yes. Will I seek them in life eventhough my basic needs pyramid is fulfilled? Most likely.

How much is enough? I really do not know the answer to that question and I have to go with the cliched expression 'Sky is the limit'. But will I be heartbroken if I cannot get everything I want? Probably not.

Money is good in some aspects and if not for fulfilling all my wants, I can use that to help with causes I strongly believe in and that would certainly make me happy. With my limited resources, I can only help only so much of it.

Look at a guy like Bill Gates. Beyond a point, material possessions are meaningless. There is very little you cannot buy with £1 billion you can buy with £40 billion when it comes to an individual. He went from being portrayed as a greedy businessman and rich guy to the world's greatest philanthropist and the causes he is spending most of his money is a great cause in my opinion which can make a difference to humanity. Having all that money helps in helping cause(s) you believe in.

Most of us seek money and material possessions till the day we die. There is always a newer model of Ipod or Iphone :rotfl I am not too much into jewelry but I reckon this is a lifelong quest for lot of women to acquire as much as possible.