would money make you life better?

[alexfot55]

A little more money would help. But in a certain critical spot a little more than a little more creates a little more need and it spirals out of control.

 

[jeansGuyOZ]

I come from a wealthy family and while money does make it easier, I don't really think it makes my life better. The problem with having money is that you have to be careful of the people who come into your life. You never know if they genuinely like you or just want you for your money. Personally I think people make one's life better, as opposed to money.

One of the disturbing things about travelling as a tourist in a third world country is that one so often encounters people who see you only as a walking dollar bill, that one gets to be suspicious of anybody being friendly. That's a shame, and a few times I had to eat humble pie when the person proved to be genuine when I thought they were only after some kind of favour.

It's not helped, of course, by well-off tourists who ostentatiously show off how well off they are... taking taxis everywhere, tipping ridiculous amounts to somebody who holds a door open for them, that sort of thing. When people visiting a foreign country act smugly superior to the locals, you can hardly blame the locals, who often don't realise there are different kinds of travellers.