Tuesday 19 June 2018

#27 - Money 06/19/18

"Money is the root of all evil."

It's a pretty accurate statement, isn't it? I hate money. I mean, I like having it and being able to do what I want with it, but I hate what it does to people. Greed is one of the ugliest traits a person can possess. Who doesn't know someone that would sell them out for a quick payday? Someone that values wealth over anything else? I know several of those people, and I rarely, if ever, talk to them anymore. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm well aware of the purpose money serves in society today. If someone couldn't make money by selling me the laptop I'm typing this blog on right now, it would've never been invented in the first place. I get it. I just hate seeing people's judgement clouded by the idea of making a few extra bucks. 

Many of the bad decisions I've made in my life have revolved around money. I've quit good jobs and taken awful ones, because the bad one paid more. I'm sure many of you can relate. And, at the end of the day, what does that bigger paycheque accomplish? As soon as you make more money, you buy more stuff, and take on more payments. It's a vicious cycle. People get stuck in these awful jobs, because they have so much debt, they can't afford to quit and go do something they want to do instead, because it doesn't pay enough. 

A dark side of someone can quickly show itself when money is involved. There's an endless number of stories out there regarding people ripping friends and loved ones off. People play in lottery pools, and then when they win, someone refuses to pay out other's shares. Instead of coming together and supporting each other, families fight over inheritances when someone passes away. People stepping over each other for a few extra bucks. Disgusting.

The worst example is probably the story of Martin Shkreli. You can google his name for the full story, but in a nutshell, he bought up the rights to a drug created to help people with a condition called toxoplasmosis. He then proceeded to jack the cost of the medicine by approx. 5000%, knowing that people needed it and would have to try and pay. If that story doesn't make you shake your head, then we probably shouldn't be friends anymore. 

A while back, I watched a documentary called "Happy" (I think it's on Netflix. Highly recommended). In it, they discuss a study (that I'm quoting from memory, so if it's not perfectly accurate, sue me) that showed that while there was a substantial gap in happiness between people making $40,000 and $90,000/year, that gap almost disappeared when you compared people making $90,000 and $900,000 annually. The point of it being, once you have enough money to cover all the basic needs in life, more money doesn't make you happier. 

A few years ago, I quit a job in the sports memorabilia industry, and took a job driving a forklift, because they flashed big dollar signs in my face. After about 18 months at the warehouse gig, I walked out, two months before I was due to receive a $4,000 bonus (the biggest bonus I've ever gotten). Because I hated that job, and I finally realized that money just isn't worth being unhappy.

Best decision I ever made.

Thanks for reading.

Adam

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