People can forget that luck often looks different depending on where you’re standing.

So, what would you do if your well-paid friend kept complaining about their job and calling you “lucky” just because you had more flexibility, despite earning a fraction of what they do? Would you bite your tongue and let them say their piece? Or would you remind them that making more money is better than flexibility?

In the following story, one man finds himself in this very situation with a friend and opts for the latter, but it doesn’t land well. Here’s how it all played out.

AITA for reminding my friend he makes 8 times more than me?

My job doesn’t pay the best but I love the work. I obviously would like to be paid more.

I was a listening ear to my friend a few years ago when he was looking for jobs.

I heard him list all the pros and cons of each option, including the salary. So I know what his starting pay was at the one he settled on, it is literally 8 times more than my annual salary.

The salary difference doesn’t impact their friendship.

Our friendship is not influenced at all by our salary differences.

We always split the bill, never pay for each other except birthdays, all of which have worked well. I even house-sit (he has a cat) for him for free when he is away.

Now that he is settled into his job, a job he will probably have until retirement, he has been complaining about it to me more and more.

He would like to get paid more.

I listen, but I can’t say I completely sympathize, mainly because I know I would happily deal with those problems if I got paid like him.

He definitely is aware of how little I get paid because he has tried to help me look for new jobs, and I have commented on whether the jobs paid more or less than my current salary.

We do not work in the same fields.

His friend doesn’t have a flexible work schedule.

Fast-forward to one day, we were hanging out, and we were discussing wanting to go to this particular thing on a weekday/workday.

I brought up how my job is pretty flexible and I can be available after a certain time.

He says: Wow, you are so lucky, I could never. Then we kept discussing this thing, and he kept reiterating how lucky I was and how it sucks he can’t.

He couldn’t handle his friend’s comments anymore.

I eventually got annoyed and said: dude, you literally make 8 times more than me, would you say to an unemployed person you are so lucky to have free time?

After that, things got awkward, and he hasn’t been messaging me.

AITA?

Eek! It sounds like they’ve each got their own issues.

Let’s see what the people over at Reddit have to say about it.

This person thinks the friend is tone deaf.

Here’s someone who also thinks the friend is a little thoughtless.

Now, here’s a completely opposite way to look at it.

For this person, the real problem is not even about the money.

His comment was a little rude.

If you thought that was an interesting story, check this one out about a man who created a points system for his inheritance, and a family friend ends up getting almost all of it.