Umair Haque says 'the "best" investment you can make isn't gold. It's the people you love, the dreams you have, and living a life that matters'.
Does it sounds simple and a tad too idealistic? Perhaps, but the truth is too often glaring and obvious we overlook them for something more - bigger, better, and bolder.
Sometimes in the office I was thrown with questions like, 'would you like to buy a discounted Coach or LV handbags?', or 'did you see the Maurice Lacroix watch we passed by the other day? Do you remember how much did it cost?', and they exhaust me. Sometimes people will ask, 'wouldn't you like to apply for the Government jobs? Or with any other big firms? They would pay you better, they offer more benefits, they are more stable', and I get tongue-tied.
How do I explain to people, and to help them understand; I neither care nor wish for these things?
It is true, money has afforded me the liberty and independence to take control of my own life, and given my growing interest in personal finance - I would be lying to say I do not care about money. However, getting (dollar) rich, collecting expensive designer (junk), or living a luxurious life (at the expense of other people's survival) are not my life's goals.
'Craft your own recipes of eudaimonic wealth - riches that are made up of the stuff you probably can't buy, but have to earn: the stuff that people usually don't (and probably won't) sell, but can choose to freely bestow upon you, give to you, and keep in trust for you.'
4 comments:
Ah, but you've answered your own question beautifully! ^^
Getting rich, collecting expensive designers, or living luxuriously (...) are not my life's goals.
See, I think it's not so much about overlooking life's ideals as it is about individual interpretation of them, given past experiences.. And where interpretation is concerned, would you agree to the notion of a 'correct' way to live one's life? (~_^)
I am in no way backing the superfluous use of cash, Sis, but not everyone can -or would want to- afford the arduous experiences that helped shape our aligned thoughts on the matter.. :)
But, but, Kak Sofie...
I know not every one can - or would want to undergo the laborious process of character-shaping like the ones we had, but I've also met a lot of wonderful people who had; they're there, they exist.
So what's wrong here, the system, the people, the culture?
We can't just leave them be, leave them alone, can we?
And the same's triply true for living a life that matters: if you were to invest in, for example, social businesses, instead of the equity of orthodox corporations, or to choose where to work not just based on the immediate paycheck, but on whether or not the boardroom valued making a difference a tiny bit more than which hedge-fund bots it was enriching this nanosecond, well, the economy's gears wouldn't just find a new rhythm — you'd be rebuilding the engine.
That's what the writer said, and I agree - I hope more of us would join in to rebuild that engine.
I have been born to privileges, and with that comes specific obligations.
To put it mildly, responsibility and accountability only falls on the shoulders of those who are aware. You and I understand this, as do our circle of friends.. Maybe the best way to get the ball rolling is to lead by example, no? If enough of us choose live lives that matter, perhaps someday others will look and follow.. ^^
Of course, Kak Sofie. You remind me of another conversation with a friend which centered around this quote:
“If you believe if you’re going to…change the world, you’re going to end up either a pessimist or a cynic. But if you understand your limited power and define yourself by your ability to resist injustice, rather than by what you accomplish, then I think reality is much easier to bear.” Chris Hedges
:)
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