What people talk about is consuming a lot. Having an expensive yacht, for instance.
If you save up like a squirrel, you don't get the benefits of being wealthy, even if you are. And how rich are you really if a bit of consumption would significantly reduce your future consumption capacity?
I would argue you're not really rich if you can't just spunk money on whatever you feel like. And no, changing your desires to desire less might be just as satisfying (in fact I try to do that too), but it's not being rich, in the sense people ordinarily mean.
While the dictionary defines rich as "Possessing great material wealth" the real value of being rich is not having to worry about being poor (feeding yourself, affording rent, etc.). After a certain threshold, earning more does not increase happiness [0], and I would argue there is a big gap between being able to afford "a bit of consumption" vs spending money on whatever.
If you save up like a squirrel, you don't get the benefits of being wealthy, even if you are. And how rich are you really if a bit of consumption would significantly reduce your future consumption capacity?
I would argue you're not really rich if you can't just spunk money on whatever you feel like. And no, changing your desires to desire less might be just as satisfying (in fact I try to do that too), but it's not being rich, in the sense people ordinarily mean.