One thing I realized is that if you don't work hard and generate wealth, your next generation of family won't enjoy the life that you had, as wealth compounds really quickly and not accumulating makes generations start from scratch.
If that is not your life goal—creating a family, looking after generations, etc.—then you are doing the right thing.
It is a cultural thing.
In countries that either don't experience economic growth (or have only found it recently e.g. India and China), you get what you describe.
(Obviously this isn't a set-in-stone thing, but the general pattern holds)
That has been a strength in my career and one of the keys to my success: I don't need to sacrifice any more than I'm willing to in order to be successful, and I can stand firm for those things that are important to me, precisely because I can walk away from any job without disaster.
The only thing my parents managed to do for me was get me a PC, at the expense of things like clothes or even food - turned out quite the return on investment for me and them.
But the point is that a lot of people around me started with very little and I’ve not seen much of a difference in their fortunes, sure having stability and initial capital gives you more options, but the quality of life - the elusive “happiness” was mostly tangential to that.
I need to be careful that it doesn't interfere with my responsibility to raise independent kids who don't want or need money from me. This takes time and energy to make sure they can make the most of the social infrastructure available to them e.g. their school.
I'm very restrained in how I spend money for private consumption out of concern for setting an example that's unproductive e.g. making the kids feel pressure to earn a lot of money to sustain a lifestyle of luxury.
I am always much happier and healthier during part time work, but it isn't quite enough money to fully participate in the society I live in.
This seems like a very upper-middle class mentality. The vast majority of people don't ever pass on wealth. Hell, go back 30 years and getting an inheritance was something the ultra-wealthy only did.
What parent doesn't want their kids to be at least equal to, if not better off then they were?
Many countries with strong family values have none of this bullshit mentality either, it's perfectly possible to have a family and look after generations and have an healthy relationship with work and money.
If anything money tear families apart more easily than they get them together
Except when it doesn't, so my parents went through high inflation in 90's (~10% or more every year for a decade) and their parents through monetary reform in 1953, which saw savings "re-calculated" by communist government order anywhere from 1:5 to 1:50. And that's not nearly even the craziest country out there when it comes to inflation and monetary machinations of the ruling class.