Putting Things in Perspective

retro moneybag

 

Chances are, if you are reading this post you are doing pretty doggone well.  You have access to electricity, and a sheltered place to store a computer.  That puts you in fairly elite company when compared to the world at large.

There is a website that will use income or wealth to give a world ranking: http://www.globalrichlist.com/  .   A natural tendency is to think locally, but it can be eye-opening to think about wealth globally.

To reach the lofty stratosphere of the TOP 1% in global income takes an annual salary  in USD of $31,100.

To reach the lofty level of the TOP 10% in global income takes an annual salary of $13,200.

The only way to determine if one is doing better than others is to compare.  But choosing who to compare will determine the outcome.  How many people protesting the 1% (in the US) are themselves in the 1% (of the world)?

On the other hand, the Independent Penguin does not need to compare with others to feel wealthy.  He lives on a stable tip of his iceberg that is sufficient to supply his needs and wants.  He values stability and freedom.   And that alone is enough to feel wealthy.

 

1 thought on “Putting Things in Perspective

  1. e

    It’s nice to have it put in perspective. I currently live in the Bay Area and feel like we’re scraping by with a household income of ~$200k.

    Reply

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