What kind of life would you rather live?

[MrScorpio]

Poll question: What kind of life would you rather live?

Live a fabulously wealthy life but die at the age of 27, or live a long life to the age of 87 all the time as a poor person?

[whathehell]

1. How 'bout...Middle age, Middle income?

[TwilightGardener]

2. Poor but old. Time is a form of wealth unto itself, IMO.

[MrScorpio]

3. I agree nt

[Kennah]

4. +1

[cherokeeprogressive]

6. THAT, my Friend... is very profound.

Time is a form of wealth unto itself.

I'm 50, and have memories and experiences few can match; none of them in the context of a wealthy life.

I figure I'm halfway home... Halley's Comet will return in my 100th year. My goal is to see it.

[Luminous Animal]

9. The poor, for the most part, experience little luxury of leisure time.

[RaleighNCDUer]

5. I'm splitting the difference.

Never quite comfortable, and I'll probably kick off at @ 72.

[Selatius]

7. Just curious, but can the cause of death be anything I desire if I choose 27? nt

[Luminous Animal]

8. Well, I've been dirt poor and if I had to live the rest of my life like that...

constantly hungry... unable to sleep because of hunger... existing with the contempt of nearly everyone in this "greatest country on earth"... it would be a long, nearly impossible to fathom existence for most any one here on DU. It is hard work being poor from the moment you are born to the day that you die.


On the other hand, the fabulously rich are assholes.


Remarkably stupid and shallow poll in my opinion.

[eridani]

10. How about an income of $75K, neither poor nor rich?

Turns out that money does indeed buy happiness, but only up to $75K. Above that and you don't get any happier.

[canetoad]

11. Neither

A 27 yr old is not in a position to apply the wisdom that discerns what is a good life vs. a bad life. An 87 yr old could still be bitter and full of prejudices they should have abandoned decades ago.

Since I've long passed the 27 mark, don't think I'm aiming for 87 with the associated loss of faculties, continence and independence. Never been rich so it's moot.

[handmade34]

12. ironic poll

since the poor usually die at an earlier age (overall)... wealth usually prolongs life

[crazyjoe]

13. depends, are you happy and poor? if you are miserable and poor,

that sounds like 87 years of misery. NO THANKS

[hfojvt]

19. depends on the definition of poor

If one was really very poor, then it would be hard not to be miserable. If you were often homeless then you would often be cold or hot, depending on the season and wet, depending on the weather. You would often be hungry and sick with various ailments. With no health care, you would be subject to toothaches and chronic ailments like arthritis. Perhaps in your younger days, you would occasionally get jobs involving manual labor, which would put you in the hot sun all day, weeding or picking cotton. Also, there would be constant fear. You would not know that you would live to age 87, so you would often be afraid that you would starve to death or freeze to death or that this illness or that would kill you, or that street violence will kill you.

[cutlassmama]

14. poor but happy

[Odin2005]

15. Poor and old.

[RebelOne]

16. Poor and old but happy. n/t

[GoneOffShore]

17. False choice poll -

There's no middle ground.

[Arkansas Granny]

18. I've been poor all my life, but reasonably happy. Now I'm getting old.

I don't know if money brings you happiness or not, but it's possible to have happiness without money.

YMMV

[TheKentuckian]

20. Poverty isn't a life extender

[Major Nikon]

21. When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep

... not screaming, like the passengers in his car.

-- Jack Handey