Your immediate needs are met. What now?

[Sloe Djinn]

I’ve found myself ruminating a lot on money and finances lately. I’m not rich in any sense of the word but have been thinking about the infinite paths that I could take which could lead to wealth or ruin. In contemplating that, a significant question arose, namely, “For what?”

Lets say you got rich enough that you had a house paid off and all ongoing needs met: food, property taxes, medical needs, etc. resulting in not needing to work anymore in general.

1. Is this desirable or not? Explain.
2. What would you do with yourself day to day?
3. What do you need in your life to stay healthy when basic needs are all met?

You may be able to guess my thoughts on this, but I’d like to hear what others think.

 

[acd]

I would actually have time to engage in my hobbies. I would finally have time to write! I'd spend time with family without nagging never ending worries about my work.
I would own my time.

Hell yeah I could never have to work again and that would be just great. I need minimal stress or major reduction in stress to be healthy. My only real consistent source of stress comes from work. Money can actually buy happiness. If I felt like I needed to be a contributing member of society I could volunteer. But I would enjoy the break for awhile to focus on family and myself.

 

[slant]

I would probably still work. I don't think it would make too much of a difference for me. I have everything I need and if I had unlimited resources I wouldn't change anything about my current life.

Lagom.

Not too little, not too much.

 

[Pin]

What would you do with yourself day to day?

I hoard money and investments to pass on to my children and grandchildren. I'll donate to charity but very incrementally, one person per year.

 

[Elis]

I think what's interesting isn't so much the idea of being done, but maybe more so about being able to do what you want. If you're happy with what you're doing and where you're going, then what's the problem, but if you despise everything about your situation then my suggestion is to start there. I think there's nothing wrong in being long-term oriented, but sometimes we're staring ourselves blindly down what we think is the only path to get there.

What do you need in your life to stay healthy when basic needs are all met?
Purpose and ideas, and people, but I think that's a given.

This topic is very interesting to me, but I'd much rather have a discussion on it than write an essay.

 

[dZpADTLrPmX4c]

Lets say you got rich enough that you had a house paid off and all ongoing needs met: food, property taxes, medical needs, etc. resulting in not needing to work anymore in general.

1. Is this desirable or not? Explain.
2. What would you do with yourself day to day?
3. What do you need in your life to stay healthy when basic needs are all met?.

Like others, I'd love having the financial freedom wealth brings (this has to include for my family). Yes it's desirable.

Write. Invest. Learn. Garden. Volunteer. Probably involve myself in politics, the UN, poorer countries, or the intelligence community.

I need very little. Peace & quiet for an hour or two before bed, and the knowledge that I won't be harmed in my sleep. Though I wonder what people consider "basic needs" too.

 

[Sloe Djinn]

I’ve found myself ruminating a lot on money and finances lately. I’m not rich in any sense of the word but have been thinking about the infinite paths that I could take which could lead to wealth or ruin. In contemplating that, a significant question arose, namely, “For what?”

Lets say you got rich enough that you had a house paid off and all ongoing needs met: food, property taxes, medical needs, etc. resulting in not needing to work anymore in general.

1. Is this desirable or not? Explain.
2. What would you do with yourself day to day?
3. What do you need in your life to stay healthy when basic needs are all met?

You may be able to guess my thoughts on this, but I’d like to hear what others think.

1. I'm ambivalent. I would love to not have to worry about whether or not basic expenses will chain me to something I don't like to do. In that sense I resonate with the appeal of the freedom that this would bring. On the other hand I fear stagnation and a loss of purpose or motivation. When I stagnate I get insecure and irritable.

2. I would love to have the time to pursue hobbies, but I have yet to clearly envision how my innate passions could be realized on a daily basis over the long-term. I think that this might involve bringing order to certain things. For example, the feeling of cleaning up an overgrown yard, stirring and watching a reduction on the stove, or working my way through a sink of dirty dishes. In this sense I could imagine a number of things. It would be something that I could master and do on my own. The prestige wouldn't matter as long as it serves an actual purpose that is useful to the people around me. This brings to mind a documentary I watched quite some time ago that I made brief reference to in my blog, namely Antarctica: A Year on Ice. It was about the McMurdo research base along with a number of other satellite bases on that continent. Though small communities like that are intended to further scientific understanding, the point is made during the film that everyone's contribution to the functioning of the base is vital, no matter if you're a scientist, a carpenter, a commissary clerk, or a janitor. Having a partner and raising kids has awakened within me a sense of dogged adherence to seemingly mundane rituals that satisfy me in that they add up to ease the functioning of the household. I think that's where washing dishes etc. came to mind. Household tasks exist within the microcosm of the family. I would hope that I could find something equitable within the setting of a small community. Could be something as simple as running a shop or restaurant, or a low-level trade.

3. I need purpose and routine to anchor me. I need opportunities to socialize or isolate as necessary and within reason throughout the course of my work. I do like some degree of variance and spontaneity in the tasks I do, but overall it has to have some kind of tangible function or benefit. I put a lot of value on a sense of community, and as such I'm talking about a tangible benefit to the community I serve as opposed to money. Ex: "I spent the day cleaning up old Mr. Whatever's overgrown shrubs because I'm good at it and there's nobody else who's going to help."

I may expound more but that's what I have for now.

I'm wondering, for those of you who would throw yourselves into hobbies, projects, etc: Do you consider yourselves artists, creators, leaders (whichever or something else entirely) by nature?

Thanks everyone for your contributions.

 

[dZpADTLrPmX4c]

Do you consider yourselves artists, creators, leaders (whichever or something else entirely) by nature?

I don't know, I never thought about it like that. I have certain skills and hopefully will gain more. And would like using those to improve quality of life however possible.
Writing is nice though.

 

[Ren]

Lets say you got rich enough that you had a house paid off and all ongoing needs met: food, property taxes, medical needs, etc. resulting in not needing to work anymore in general.

1. Is this desirable or not? Explain.
2. What would you do with yourself day to day?
3. What do you need in your life to stay healthy when basic needs are all met?

1. Extremely desirable. I'd be able to dedicate my time to writing and research, my two non-lucrative passions.
2. Read, write, think. Spend quality time with my significant other. Catch up with friends.
3. Regular walks, a good relationship, good friendships.

I had that thought recently that if I'd been born a French aristocrat, I would have been the happiest man ever.

@Pin

 

[Professor Snep]

I had that thought recently that if I'd been born a French aristocrat, I would have been the happiest man ever.

 

[Ren]

LMAO. I knew it.

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[Professor Snep]

LMAO. I knew it.

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View attachment 79713

How about just being plain bourgeois?

 

[Korg]

I'm wondering, for those of you who would throw yourselves into hobbies, projects, etc: Do you consider yourselves artists, creators, leaders (whichever or something else entirely) by nature?

Yes. My career is artistic / technical and I've always had creative side interests. I've pursued those things independent of my financial situation and I don't think anything will change there going forward.

 

[Ren]

How about just being plain bourgeois?

No. A bourgeois is expected to work, be productive from an economic point of view.

Not so with the aristocrat.

 

[Asa]

Having more financial security would allow me to live with less stress and more financial room to breathe.
I'd buy more land.
Even when I was dirt poor I tried to live my life with purpose, focusing on who and what matters. While parenting comes with definite time limitations and I empathize, if you really want something in your life (you want to be an artist, writer, musician, or have a dog, a garden, or better relationships) you need to cut out the stuff that isn't important (like TV, video games, social media) and focus on what is. turn off the TV and go take photographs, or spend half an hour writing your first draft, or draw, or play music, or garden, or walk your dog, or call or email that friend or relative. <3

 

[Professor Snep]

No. A bourgeois is expected to work, be productive from an economic point of view.

Not so with the aristocrat.

Nor the bureaucrat

 

[Korg]

if you really want something in your life (you want to be an artist, writer, musician, or have a dog, a garden, or better relationships) you need to cut out the stuff that isn't important (like TV, video games, social media) and focus on what is. turn off the TV and go take photographs, or spend half an hour writing your first draft, or draw, or play music, or garden, or walk your dog, or call or email that friend or relative. <3

QFT

Also, there is a unique opportunity when you're young to go all-in on this. Not that you have to in order to achieve something (you might), but you can strip your life down to nothing, devote everything you have to any ridiculous goal, blow your life apart and still come out on the other side before age 30 with plenty of time. Or maybe you get what you want. But so much of the unrealized potential of that decade is often squandered on bullshit that gives no value in return for the enormous investment of one's youth. And the worst part is, that continues on into their entire lives.

I don't know, I get kinda quiet around this topic because I never know when I start to sound like Gary Vee or something.

 

[Asa]

@Korg Yeah, I agree with what you are saying. I don't know who Gary Vee is, but I assume he an inspirational bullshit artist or something. My own career isn't exactly an icon to hold up as an example, but that is largely because I dropped the ball about ten years ago. I needed that time, but there came a point last year where I knew I no longer needed that time and started readjusting my life to suit living with purpose.

 

[Sloe Djinn]

While parenting comes with definite time limitations and I empathize, if you really want something in your life (you want to be an artist, writer, musician, or have a dog, a garden, or better relationships) you need to cut out the stuff that isn't important

Good words to live by. I don’t know if this was gleaned from other posts of mine, as I do bitch frequently about parenthood. I do want to clarify that I let off steam here, but I understand that it may have cultivated an image of a resentful parent. I love my family and wouldn't change it for the world. My only purpose in referring to parenthood was to illustrate that it gave rise to enjoyment in doing certain types of things that I used to find mundane or pointless, and it was an enjoyment that I couldn't grasp until I had a gained the experience of routinely being responsible for tiny humans. I've definitely been able to carve out time to explore interests (brewing, cooking, shooting, etc) but the search continues.

 

[acd]

Good words to live by. I don’t know if this was gleaned from other posts of mine, as I do bitch frequently about parenthood. I do want to clarify that I let off steam here, but I understand that it may have cultivated an image of a resentful parent. I love my family and wouldn't change it for the world. My only purpose in referring to parenthood was to illustrate that it gave rise to enjoyment in doing certain types of things that I used to find mundane or pointless, and it was an enjoyment that I couldn't grasp until I had a gained the experience of routinely being responsible for tiny humans. I've definitely been able to carve out time to explore interests (brewing, cooking, shooting, etc) but the search continues.

I thought it was in reference to my post lol.
Well said.