Australia’s life dissatisfaction levels double as ‘wellbeing poverty’ reaches new highs

Poverty affects every part of life. I've never been wealthy, but for most of my life I could afford little luxuries for my family, like Dominos on cheap Tuesday, drives in the country, days at the beach, and weekend camping trips. I could even save a little money here and there.

In the last few years I've started making more money than I ever have, but all those little things that made life worthwhile have simultaneously become out of reach. The only time we've splurged on eating out in the last year was Hungry Jack's for my daughters birthday dinner. We don't drive anywhere unnecessarily because we don't have excess fuel money. We can't afford to maintain the camping gear we have, let alone replace it as it wears out and breaks.

Despite working a "professional" job and receiving numerous pay raises over the last 5 years, my quality of life has gotten significantly worse, and I suspect there are plenty of others around who feel the same way I do. Every year I'm a little bit worse off than I was the year before. Owning a house is off the table. The idea of a comfortable retirement is laughable. Travel is a dream I used to have. Hobbies aren't even worth considering unless they're completely free.

I basically can't afford to life anymore. It affects everything. I no longer work to improve my life, because that doesn't seem possible. I work to avoid the terrible consequences of not working. My hopes and dreams have transitioned from working towards something better, to merely trying to stop things from getting worse.

And the worst part is, I don't legitimately see any way that things are going to get better for people like me, with no real wealth and no inheritance on the way. We're in the late stages of the monopoly game. All the properties have been bought, houses and hotels built, and the dice never quite worked out for me. All I can do is keep passing go until I land on a square that's going to put me out of the game for good. It's time to flip the board and start again.

That came out a bit whiny I guess. At least I have a wife who loves me, my health, and for now I can afford my landlord's mortgage. I know there are people out there far worse off than I am. But it baffles me that we have enough for everyone, but so many continue to live in poverty while a handful suck up so much despite contributing so little. If you consider our capitalist system for just a minute without resorting to those indoctrinated taglines, it's completely bizarre and illogical, and antithetical to that egalitarian society so many used to like to brag about.