Thread by @davidzmorris

I've experienced some dramatic professional and lifestyle changes over the last few years, and it has indirectly taught me a hell of a lot about the psychology of my favorite topic - graft, deception, and fraud.

A quick thread about my money, and other people's.

1/7

I spent my entire 20s making well under $30k/yr as a student - undergrad, then Phd. I was in full-on monk mode. (Note: don't confuse this with 'poverty').

After that, things got gradually but inconsistently better for five years or so as I built up a writing career. 2/7

Then we moved to New York. Because my wife is also a badass and New York is a town that disproportionately rewards brains, our household income has more than doubled in the last two years.

Here's the simple, profound thing I've finally learned:

Nice things are nice.

3/7

Wearing wool is nicer than wearing polyester. Gold is nicer than brass. Double-pane windows and central HVAC are nicer than constant drafts and dripping window units.

(I'm sure cashmere and platinum and infinity pools are even nicer, but we ain't there yet). 4/7

And here's the thing I doubt I could have grasped if I hadn't gotten my hands on a (tiny bit of) money myself:

I think most people who steal and lie do it for no more complex reason than wanting to sleep on silk sheets and drive a Bugatti (that's a car, right?). 5/7

Average folks are sadly inclined to see nice things and want to draft on the person who's flashing them.

But here's the truth:

People who fear suffering can't be trusted.

6/7

The guy with the lambo is probably a con artist, because what he's really telling you is that he lacks imagination beyond his attachment to things, objects, comforts.

And he fears not having them.

And he's willing to take what you have to keep them.

Walk away.

7/7