I don't know, I think we all adjust to our circumstances, some a little more magnanimously than others, but all roughly the same.
I mean, I do think you're right, that there are folks who have enslaved themselves to belongings. But most folks are like you and me. Not obsessed by their possessions, but not immune to the idea of nice things, either.
I grew up pretty close to impoverished, not welfare poor, but maybe just a step or two above it. Because my folks worked their butts off, we were better off by the time I left for college; maybe lower middle class...working class, anyway. Today, after a successful career, I'm probably what we call upper middle class. And through all those levels of living, I've always had things I would like but couldn't quite afford. When I was a kid, it was maybe real milk instead of that freeze-dried stuff. Today, it's keeping enough of a reserve on hand to pay for a couple of weddings when and if my daughters strike the fancy. If I were rich, it might be a yacht or a jet.
We're human. We have goals. Those goals seem to pretty much never run out. Whether we're selfish, or tithing, or donating a third of each paycheck to charity. We still have projects and goals. Right?
Anyway, sorry, got off topic. I think the fella making $5.5M a year today would certainly be enticed by the possibility of $8M a year instead. The only question is whether the extra pain would be worth the extra gain.
Don't you think?
