Not trying to be mean or invalidating, but I would maybe suggest that this sounds like an impoverished conception of the "good life" to me.
Discussion
i bet you already know, obv, but you’re not being mean. & if someone wants to join any discussion, they should actually be willing to discuss.
(even in a philosophical exercise as here) sadly, in the world these days, all these things seem mean:
truthfulness, honesty, being earnest, trying to course correct misguided ideas or unsound thinking…etc.
more often than not, folks are more interested in _feeling_ they are right than actually trying to be on track with truths. (this is one of the greatest problems for modern humanity.)
and the response here by twentyone seems to be an attempt at answering some other question entirely & not the one you actually asked.
I don’t think you’re being mean. I suppose it depends on your perspective when using the term impoverished. For me having the ability to do what I want and when I want is very important to me. It is true you have to make sacrifices to live such a life. But if physical possessions, being one of the sacrifices, aren’t very important to you, I wouldn’t see it as an impoverished conception. Having all the latest gadgets, fancy clothing, fancy cars, just isn’t important to me. I care more about spending time in nature and spending time with close family and friends. It’s not a judgement in any way if materialistic things are important to you. We all have different things that make us happy. I found my “good life” and it works for me but may not be good for others.
You seem to be implying that freedom is not important to me, in my conception of the good life.
I think freedom is important to everyone. For me personally I found the need to “keep up with the jones” took away from what was important to me, my time. I’m not implying it’s not important to you. And I’m not implying you try to “keep up with the jones”. I’m only speaking from my personal experience.