Nobodys Happy

[cottonpicken]

This is just part profound,metaphorical,quizzical,bla,bla

but painting society with a big broad brush are people more or less happy on an axis with x being the happy scale and y being the timeline.

I kind of think unhappy over time.

Just a dumb poll that doesnt mean anything.

[hobbyfrmr]

I think there are many unhappy people. We have never carried so much debt in our lives. We have never been exposed to so much commercialism in our lives. The message is that we deserve things and stuff AND we can get those grand/fancy things and stuff. So, we go and get that stuff on credit and it doesn't take long we are swamped in debt, more miserable than ever.
I think I am jealous, but here is the example. Nice people at the lake. Basic family 30 yrs old, two kids 8 and 10 yrs old. A mortgage on a house in a small town, a 2013 snowmobile,a small side by side for he kids, a 60,000 fifth wheel camper and and a 3 year old truck that now, is legally too small to pull the camper. They don't talk about ideas, or concepts or history or interest rates or culture. They talk about others, where the best wages are paid, the stuff they got, and what is next on the purchase list. They seem happy with their stuff but somehow I suspect the gratification is short lived.

[charliep]

I have a friend who worked on an agricultural project in Uganda. They would subsistence/had nothing but they were the happiest people he'd ever met. Waking up everyday and having family around them was a privilege in spite of having close to nothing. Perhaps why people in the developed world have something to loose.

I often see comments about us city people and I am not so sure there is much difference in lifestyle/toys. Perhaps a better comparison is with an urban small business owner/something with significant equity in a business. Are they that much different than you? If you assume the business skills needed to run any business including a farm are not much different, why would you not change careers if farming is a worst career choice than other ones?

[grassfarmer]

Happy farmers. How can you not get excited about the potential seen here?

http://vimeo.com/81468461


I feel sorry for the many that Hobby portrayed where a life's work is spent and measured in the accumulation of "stuff".

[charliep]

The 30 year old could be a farm kid who has made other career choices - have seen it? It seem to highlight the fact there are more farmers over 70 than under 40. Average age of farmers just over 55. If you were starting your career today and had some further education (university, college, apprentice/trade), would you take $1million of equity (most likely tied to family) and $1 million of debt to run a farm or enjoy life with a 7:30 to 5:00 job.

Have a God son that pulls a $1,000 a day working in a trade. Not fun life in that 2 weeks in Fort MacMurray/one out but makes a good chunk of change.

[furrowtickler]

I would love a job where I could take a break every two weeks .
Try working 14-16 hrs for 2 and a half months straight

[furrowtickler]

Most young people today have no idea what hard work realy is they expect to get paid 10 hrs for every 8 worked

[mbdog]

nobodys happy??? Blame the Liberals.

[sumdumguy]

I am happy, really happiest I have ever been. No debt, and engraved on my gravestone will be, " All that I aspire to be is fertilizer for a tree."

I absolutely love the pleasure of growing plants. Big, healthy bushy plants. Only plants that I don't love are weeds.

[sumdumguy]

As soon as Justin is elected I will grow big plants.

[farmaholic]

Sumdumguy. I thought you ssid hoi didn't like weed.

[Horse]

Actuaaly life style is like breasts without nipples.... POINTLESS!!

[sumdumguy]

Maybe some weeds aren't so bad.

[sawfly]

Furrow my sentiments exactly
since mid April maybe 2 days off.
moving grain that should have moved in winter dose not help.
just wonder about the wisdom of it,
what for?
Esp. when my ex hired help,
teens then
went to the oil industry, and in their 30s now have all the goodies.
and then some. and will be retired before their my age.
all with 40 hr or less weeks

love the work compared to a million other jobs , being outside ,freedom . some variety .accomplishment.
but the marathon wears thin

[Hopperbin]

This economy should make for some big farm auction sales.