Social Question

The_Compassionate_Heretic's avatar

Are you comfortable with the more-than-likely possibility that you will likely never become extraordinarily wealthy and/or famous?

Asked by The_Compassionate_Heretic (14634points) August 12th, 2009

Are you ok with living a modest life?

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51 Answers

MrBr00ks's avatar

I’m always going to strive for something more, so I can’t say I’m completely comfortable with it, but I can definitely handle it.

Rant's avatar

If everyone was famous then nobody would be famous.

Jack79's avatar

I’ve been both wealthy and famous (not extremely, but above average). Now I am neither. I don’t miss either, though a bit of extra cash could come handy right now. There are far more important things in life, and I was lucky to realise that early enough.

Hatsumiko's avatar

I am very happy knowing that/expecting that. As long as I enjoy my life, who cares?

jbfletcherfan's avatar

I never have been or ever will be wealthy or famous. As far as the fame goes, I want to lead my quiet, mostly happy life the way it is. Sure, I could stand some more money, but we’re comfortable. The bills get paid on time, we have money in the bank, we travel, eat out at least once every week & I pretty much buy whatever I want. So that’s good enough for me.

ru2bz46's avatar

Fame simply brings pressure, so I don’t want it. Financially, my life is toast, thanks to a poor choice of spouse. I’m still happy, so I’m comfortable knowing it will not get better.

erichw1504's avatar

How do you know that I’m not already wealthy and famous?

…Yea, OK I’m not. Yet, I don’t care, I would just like to live comfortably financially and not be famous. Which I hope I can do very soon.

dalepetrie's avatar

I don’t give a crap about fame. Money is great, and I’ll hope to be wealthy till the day I die, but I never expect to. As long as I can keep my bills paid, I’ve got no real complaints.

jonsblond's avatar

I have no desire to be wealthy or famous. All that matters to me is that I am happy.

Supacase's avatar

Zero desire to be famous. Would like to be financially comfortable, which is a couple of steps up from where we are now and I think we’ll eventually make it. Flat out wealthy would be great, but I’m not expecting it to ever happen.

Facade's avatar

“Modest” wouldn’t be the word. I plan to be well-off enough to not have to worry about bills, not be on a budget, and help my parents out if they want it (as well as whoever else may ask). I think being famous would be a hassle.

jeanna's avatar

I like being poor; makes life more interesting.

marinelife's avatar

I don’t like the trade offs of fame. I like my privacy.

I wouldn’t want a bunch of people who don’t know me from Adam worshiping some idea of me that has nothing to do with the real me.

As for wealth, I don’t care enough about having it to ruthlessly pursue it.

jbfletcherfan's avatar

@ru2bz46 Be happy, but never give up the hope that it won’t get any better. Tomorrow’s another day. It may be the day when everything turns for the better.

ru2bz46's avatar

@jbfletcherfan I haven’t given up hope, but I’m comfortable if this is my lot in life. I’m always open to opportunities that come my way, but I no longer obsess about them.

janbb's avatar

You mean I won’t?

drdoombot's avatar

It’s a daily struggle to come to terms with those facts.

Bri_L's avatar

I long for the time when I can get back to modest. I could give a crap about wealthy or famous.

cak's avatar

Nothing wrong with my life. I’m not famous and I’m not wealthy. Do a lot of people struggle with this dilemma? Not the people I know. We’re all pretty content with how our lives are playing out, so far.

samanthabarnum's avatar

Definitely. If I have good friends, good food, and a roof over my head, then living a modest life is fine by me. As long as I’m happy, extravagant amounts of money are of little use to me.

rahii's avatar

The problem with people that i have experienced in my lifetime, is that no matter if you’re rich or poor happy or unhappy, everyone wants something more and something better. i feel lucky to have realized so young that it is not what i dont have, but what i do have that is important. if i had my choice i would live in an era of simplicityy…where people care about others more than themselves.

this is how i live my life…i dont practice religion because i dont care what happens when i die, i care about how i live, and if i live happily i will die happily, and no higher power will fulfill my day to day happiness. I live for the moment, i do anything that makes me laugh and smile, i work hard for little pay and i dont mind because it makes me appreciate everything i have. I never disrespect my parents, i hold doors for strangers, i treat people behind checkout counters kindly, i dont rush too much, and i dont take my living days for granted.

galileogirl's avatar

Actually I’ve worked very hard to avoid riches or fame. I have been extraordinarally successful at it

noodle_poodle's avatar

yeh its no problem… that zen thing..life is less about striving to get things and more about learning to be content with what you have….not sure i agree but i do think there are so many people in the world and not all of us can have the perfect life…lifes a lottery you do what you can with what yer delt

sjmc1989's avatar

NO!! I’ve always felt since I was a small child I was destined for Greatness.

YARNLADY's avatar

Been there, done that. In the words of my favorite philosopher “All I want is a little more than I’ll ever get.”© Ashleigh Brilliant

casheroo's avatar

I would never want to be famous. Maybe recognized in the field I worked in, but not famous.
I’d be happy with just being comfortable, and not worrying about every little purchase I make, or if my husband is going to lose a job and we’ll be up the creek.

SuperMouse's avatar

I have always been, as the saying goes “a legend in my own mind” that’s good enough for me. I wouldn’t shun fame (like I’ll be there to pick up my Academy Award for best screenplay), but I’m fine if it never comes knocking.

As for wealth, as long as I have a roof over my head, a place for my boys to be comfortable and three squares a day, I am content. Any more money just becomes a hassle and creates too much of a pre-occupation with keeping it, I’m not interested in that.

Bri_L's avatar

@galileogirl – Is that why all my requests for an autographed picture have gone, as of yet, unanswered and, sadly, unfulfilled? sniff

ubersiren's avatar

I gave up on this long ago. Now I’d be happy to have a detached house in a nice neighborhood.

galileogirl's avatar

@Bri_L I have this problem with cameras and mirrors picking up my image. Did you get the autographed picture of Agnes Moorehead? That was me.

hearkat's avatar

I have never had any interest in fame. And while it would be nice not to have to worry about finances, I doubt that much would change if I were ‘wealthy’. Except that I’d be traveling the world rather surfing the web!

irocktheworld's avatar

It’d be nice to be famous but I like my life and its going really good and as I say,Im a lover of life! :)

Simone_De_Beauvoir's avatar

Comfortable – no, I’m thankful that I’m not wealthy nor famous…but believe you me, I have never lived an average life nor have I ever been ‘modest’

Bri_L's avatar

@galileogirl – OOOOooooohhhhh! YES! I have it framed on my desk! Thanks much. Now my collection is complete!

jca's avatar

i never wanted to be famous. i never expected to be rich. i strive to be comfortable enough that i can take some nice vacations (which i do at present), buy what needs to be bought when it needs to be bought (like cars), pay for my daughter to have whatever she needs and when retirement time comes, that i can continue living a comfortable life. i am fairly comfortable now, nowhere near rich, i would like to have a little more money to be totally satisfied.

buster's avatar

Im totally fine without fame or lots of money. All I really want out of life is to ride my skateboard and hump my girlfriend. Its always been my experience the more money I make the more I spend. Im good at pissing away money so being rich wouldn’t happen to me. The only way I might be famous was if you saw me on the t.v. show COPS.

tinyfaery's avatar

“Now Ive swung back down again
Its worse than it was before
If I hadn’t seen such riches
I could live with being poor”

—James Sit Down

I’m not rich, but I don’t have to worry about money. And I’d never sacrifice my anonymity for fame. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t love to win the lottery.

benjaminlevi's avatar

Fame would be awful, as a shy person I would tend to avoid things that would fame me. Wealth would be nice, not so that I could buy myself things as objects bore me, but it would be nice to be able to appropriate large amounts of money to causes I believe in.

@sjmc1989 Then do something great

filmfann's avatar

I am relieved not to be famous. I am shocked by the number of tv shows and websites that specialize in taking unflattering pictures of famous people. There was a picture of Paula Abdul leaving a restaurant with (gasp!) some spinach between her teeth!

Simone_De_Beauvoir's avatar

@filmfann dude, imagine how the spinach must have felt

NaturalMineralWater's avatar

..“for I have learned, in · whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”...

aprilsimnel's avatar

If you aren’t grateful for what you already have, then you’re not ready for anything more anyway.

evelyns_pet_zebra's avatar

I have zero desire to be famous. Being rich might be nice, but all the weathy people I’ve known or ever heard about were paranoid about someone taking their money.

I am rich in love, as I have a loving wife and family that makes me happy. I have good friends, a pretty decent job, a truck that is a joy to drive, and a dog that loves me so much she can’t stand to be away from me. Whenever I am around, she has to be touching me. Money won’t buy love like that. =)

I am content with what I have, and I really think that being rich and famous is not at all what it is cracked up to be. Look at the rich celebrities, who can’t even walk out their door without the tabloids making headlines out of it. No thank you, I don’t need that shit. My relative anonymity is good enough for me.

mattbrowne's avatar

Being extraordinarily wealthy and/or famous is an additional burden taking away some comfort ‘normal’ people enjoy.

ShanEnri's avatar

I’m ok with it, but I don’t have to like it! Seriously, it’s all I know so it kind of has to be ok, since I don’t know what it would be like to be rich and famous!

Bluefreedom's avatar

Yes, I’m okay with living a modest life. If I win the Powerball Lottery at a later time, I’m going to be perfectly fine with that also.

sjmc1989's avatar

@benjaminlevi I’m working on it :)

JLeslie's avatar

I am fine with it, not being famous or very wealthy. Although, my fantasy is to build something, like a community or a building.

hungryhungryhortence's avatar

It was a huge issue a few years ago but I have resigned to simplify more and more in the past decade and actually found a lot I prefer about the lifestyle.

tiffyandthewall's avatar

i absolutely do not want to be famous. as funny as i think perez hilton is (most of the time, in small doses), i would not ever want to see myself on his website. i think fame is gross, honestly. i don’t equate fame to being great/successful.

wealthy? well. really, i just want enough money to do the things i want to do. i think being wealthy would be nice – i’d like to buy some nice things for myself, and be able to donate to charities more than i can with a modest income – but if it aint gonna happen, it aint gonna happen.

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