Interesting how so many people seek power to control others, but so few seek it to wrest back control of themselves.prosaic wrote: Money IS power if you use it to buy *freedom*.
Freedom ain't cheap. But that's because it's so valuable.
Interesting how so many people seek power to control others, but so few seek it to wrest back control of themselves.prosaic wrote: Money IS power if you use it to buy *freedom*.
I totally agree. I have also retorted to people who say this, "well, you're not spending it right then".secretwealth wrote:I think those axioms like "money can't buy happiness" and "find your passion and do what you love, don't care about the money" are propaganda to keep the lower middle class poor and enslaved to their soul-sucking menial jobs, whether in cubicles, on construction sites, or elsewhere....
This oft repeated abortion of what the Bible actually said is an even more succinct attempt to keep people from the freedom created by well handled money and resources.workathome wrote:Also "money is the root of all evil"
I don't think the definition of "power" in this thread is the domination of others, but about the domination over ourselves. SW's wealth gives him the power to take the situation with the professor anyway he wants, as he can live with any of the repercussions.Seneca wrote:[
I think the level of wealth most on this forum appear to have is more akin to freedom as Ego posited, not power. You had freedom from that tenure tract "anus sniffer", but you didn't actually have power over her. You have to have a crapload of money to hit that level, and not just millions.
He stated that well in his response to Ego.Chad wrote:I don't think the definition of "power" in this thread is the domination of others, but about the domination over ourselves. SW's wealth gives him the power to take the situation with the professor anyway he wants, as he can live with any of the repercussions.Seneca wrote:[
I think the level of wealth most on this forum appear to have is more akin to freedom as Ego posited, not power. You had freedom from that tenure tract "anus sniffer", but you didn't actually have power over her. You have to have a crapload of money to hit that level, and not just millions.
@SW- I commented on the power/freedom discussion because your reply to Ego made it seem like you thought it was both important, and carried in to defining societal interactions, which is interesting.secretwealth wrote:I slept on this question because it's such a good one. And I think I stick by my original word choice--money bought me power.Ego wrote:Was it power or freedom that you bought? Did you buy it with money or with redundancy (multiple options)? Did you buy anything at all, did you earn it, did you learn it or did you just become it?
Rather than "money is power" could you say "having redundancy makes me free", with money as a footnote?
When I say "power" I specifically mean the ability to not be under the power of other people. Thus I now can combat the power others try to have over me with my own power, which I only have now because I have money to leave any work situation I don't like and I don't have to pursue a career to insure I have a place to sleep and food to eat.
So, yes, I also got freedom as well, but I think that freedom was only possible because of the power I have to resist the power of other people (universities, hiring committees, department heads, journal editorial boards).
At least from this perspective, it paints society in a depressing light: social institutions give individuals power to assert control and restrict the freedom of other individuals. This describes colleges to a T (and also reminds me of the "I will downgrade you if you play with your phone in class. I will downgrade you if you miss two days. I will downgrade you if your political opinions differ from my own." warnings that you hear on the first day of class, let alone the nonsense that goes on in research)...
It is more than simple semantic quibbling.secretwealth wrote: I don't find such semantic quibbling terribly useful, do you?
Not being under the power of other people is not the same as being free.secretwealth wrote:When I say "power" I specifically mean the ability to not be under the power of other people.
Based on SW's lifestyle, I agree that money is one of his most useful tools. That's why I didn't want to knock the OP.Felix wrote:I just think that "power over yourself" (I think that's SW's definition here) and freedom are pretty similar things.
Yes, you don't need money, you can also get there through skill-building, but the money does help a lot, I think.
I'm having trouble wrapping my head around this. To me, not being under the power of other people is exactly what freedom is. Can you clarify?Ego wrote:Not being under the power of other people is not the same as being free.