Why I am not a Millionaire (link)

Im sure ill have plenty of tales for my wife and son from prison, or the psyche ward. :lol:

Alethea Thompson wrote: Fortune cookie statements are a crutch.

Is that on fortune cookies now? I think you're missing the point. Money is just an idea. Fiat money, like any check or note of debt, is without intrinsic use value as a physical commodity. It derives its value by being declared by a government to be legal tender; that is, it must be accepted as a form of payment within the boundaries of the country, for "all debts, public and private".

Why do you need a million pieces of paper to tour the world and educate people? People have been doing that for thousands of years without money. Why do you need pieces of paper to feed and clothe and shelter yourself? People have been doing that for 200,000+ years without money.

Adder wrote: I'd love to agree with him because a lot of what he says are good messages, but I've met a few wealthy people, and they do not care that much about money. When they have enough, they can lose some of it - because they know they have enough to make it back easily enough.... you see money makes money. They don't waste it of course, but they don't actually give it much thought.

What he says though is true for most everyone else on the planet. It's just strange that he makes it all about himself. I'd calculate that there are a few thresholds for wealth to achieve freedom;

1. earning enough to survive (meet basic demands of water,food,shelter)
2. earning enough to support a few dependents (elderly, children, sick)
3. assets enough to support yourself in old age when you retire (but you stll need to work)
4. assets enough to support yourself now, so you do not have to work except managing your assets
5. assets enough to remove oneself from management of supporting yourself now, so you do not have to work at all.

There would be intermediate levels of course. I'd have to say he is at or above level 3 but decides to spend it all altruistically perhaps!?

If that guy does not have a financial safety net and the story is literally true (which I doubt), then he might be assuming that he will be able to generate money when he needs it. If he gets injured/sick and unable to work or be creative/entrepreneurial, it would have helped to have some savings or income producing assets.

Which is probably his point, if everyone gives everything to those charities then when the time comes for them to need them, they will be of suitable quality and professionalism to be what he considers 'best'.

I still think lifestyle and assets are different things though. Someone could be a billionaire and live very ascetic or nature-bound in the Himalayas with black clad ninja's. The only difference is that person will always know that all it takes is one phone call before boarding the companies/trusts G5 to return to Gotham.

While I'm not convinced you need absolute renunciation to achieve the spiritual benefits of asceticism, there can be no doubt that one difference is a huge one.

Well if money makes money then these people don't actually "earn" it. Financial freedom is a myth for about 99% of the world so why even bother chasing a myth? You'll just end up working a job you hate, getting a degree you don't really want, living in a crappy apartment in a crappy city surrounded by money-worshipping consumers.

Whyte, if fiat money means nothing- why aren't you living the fiat moneyless dream. Why are t you out there teaching the world your message without fiat money? Or living without -any- of the luxuries I am barely able to hold right now (house, food, shelter, transportation , etc)? If that's something you aspire to- why are you on the Internet which costs someone(whether its yours, someone else's or a company's) fiat money to communicate. If you are t living the dream- it's nothing but a fortune cookie statement.

Whyte Horse wrote: Well if money makes money then these people don't actually "earn" it.

What I meant by the idea of money making money is that it creates freedom to use it effectively in a market economy, as compared to someone who has to use money as required when required because they have insufficient in surplus and therefore do not have the luxury of taking advantage of the movements in the market. That sort of thing still takes work and involves risk, so they'd say they earn it probably.

Alethea Thompson wrote: Whyte, if fiat money means nothing- why aren't you living the fiat moneyless dream. Why are t you out there teaching the world your message without fiat money? Or living without -any- of the luxuries I am barely able to hold right now (house, food, shelter, transportation , etc)? If that's something you aspire to- why are you on the Internet which costs someone(whether its yours, someone else's or a company's) fiat money to communicate. If you are t living the dream- it's nothing but a fortune cookie statement.

Who says I'm not living the moneyless dream? I've already traveled the world and taught plus I'll be doing it again soon. Internet access doesn't HAVE to cost money, you just choose to have your own personal dedicated high-speed line to your bank-owned suburban McMansion. In case you didn't notice, food just grows on trees and comes out of the backends of chickens. Water falls from the skies.

But fear not, I used to have the same problems you're referring to. I wasted 13 years of my life working at jobs I hated and buying things I don't need to impress people I don't like. The final straw was when I found myself working in a cubicle, eating garbage, paying "rent" to live on the planet I was born on, and playing a rat-race game just like everyone else but never getting ahead, only just barely treading water. Well haha the joke was on me and I learned my lesson.

I personally think the guy who wrote the article is a genius, or at least he sees the genius in this way of life. People like he and I still do work and probably work harder than we need to but it's not for money.

Peace

Yeah, I know alot of people with your attitude.

Funnily enough though, MY hard work, not only has to pay for me and my family, but many of there welfare checks,project 8 housing,etc, and there family too.


As with Gandhi, it takes alot of my money for many people to live so simply.

Interesting how they can be on foodstamps and government checks and yet have no problem getting high speed internet either.

Khaos beat me to it.

"it took an awful lot of money to keep Bapu poor."
-Sarojini Naidu (A follower of Gandhi speaking of Gandhi's "poverty")

Not to mention the bit of my money that goes to prisons, etc.. They live simply too. Get work out equipment, TV time, etc... Good to see where your hard earned money goes.

Khaos wrote: Yeah, I know alot of people with your attitude.

Funnily enough though, MY hard work, not only has to pay for me and my family, but many of there welfare checks,project 8 housing,etc, and there family too.


As with Gandhi, it takes alot of my money for many people to live so simply.

Interesting how they can be on foodstamps and government checks and yet have no problem getting high speed internet either.

Hey man I worked a jobbie and paid taxes too ever since I was 13. It takes a lot of my money(which I actually earned through real work, not some fake work like rich people do) to keep those at the top afloat. $800/month rent to a landlord? Go get bent. 35% interest on credit cards? Stuff a sock in it.

Well all I can say is that may work out for some people but so did slavery.