It doesn’t solve the problems that people without it seem to think it will. In fact, no material possession will. External things can’t fix internal issues.

The unbiased honest truth is this: Wealth, success, and luxury do not harm a man. What harms a man is the Attachment to these things. If a man becomes greatly successful and accumulates a treasure chest full of wealth, he is not the worst for it. But if he is attached to these things, he is doomed. And what is rarely mentioned is also this: The man

On the other hand, many FIRE adherents exhibit classic signs of stress, anxiety, and even depression, and think that hitting some mythical number in their spreadsheet will solve their unhappiness. It won’t.