Will the recession make us better people?

[MrMark]

Will the recession make us better people?

Answer = No. Mugging old ladies so one can eat, does not make one a better person. < Ben Elton mode > Unless of course you get the opportunity to clobber Thatch! </ Ben Elton mode >

[Ruse]

Will this teach people to become less materialistic, or perhaps enjoy life's luxuries with more appreciation?

I know from my own experience of living the contractor dream, then being benched and having to 'adjust' my standard of living to cope with an unforeseen financial future has made me realise that money doesn't buy everything in life and that I'm more happy doing something constructive and meaningful with my life, than simply earning pound notes.

Has the recession / credit crunch affected your life in a good or bad way? Or changed the way you think about life/money in general?

Yes to some extent. Just before my last contract finished I was thinking about upgrading my aging car to a flash new model. More recently I have been spending time down at my partner's shared allotment, which I never thought was my cup of tea, but it is quite calming down there. Not to mention it saves us lots of cash on food and the fruit and veg taste like real fodd unlike what you get in the supermarket. So yes there some positives.

[Sysman]

Yes to some extent. Just before my last contract finished I was thinking about upgrading my aging car to a flash new model. More recently I have been spending time down at my partner's shared allotment, which I never thought was my cup of tea, but it is quite calming down there. Not to mention it saves us lots of cash on food and the fruit and veg taste like real fodd unlike what you get in the supermarket. So yes there some positives.

You have something there. When I was benched in the mid-90s I spent quite a bit of time helping my father with his large garden, with a view to making it more maintainable. It was a surprisingly enjoyable experience, and it cost next to nothing - we managed to build an extra shed purely out of accumulated scraps we found in his garage.