Read this on another forum. Thought I would share it with you guys, really makes you think.
[COLOR="Blue"]A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented
the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took
him to catch them.
"Not very long," answered the Mexican.
"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the
American.
The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs
and those of his family.
The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"
"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with
my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a
few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs . . I have a full life."
The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you!
You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."
And after that?" asked the Mexican.
With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one
and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers.
Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate
directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You
can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or
even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."
"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.
"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.
"And after that?"
"Afterwards? Well my Friend, That's when it gets really interesting,"
answered the American, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you
can start selling stocks and make millions!"
"Millions? Really? And after that?" said the Mexican.
"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the
coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta
with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends."
And the moral is: Know where you're going in life... you may already be there!!!![/COLOR]
I must be in a mood or something.
"there are two dates on your tombstone, it's not about the date you where born and it 's not about the date you have died it the dash in the middle that counts"
Siestas and minimum work are great ... until the kids go to college and someone in the family needs surgery :yuck: Money makes the world go round :(
Its not about having what you want, its wanting what you already have that counts.
Money may make the world go around but its the stuff you get for free that makes it worth sticking around.
I never could understand why a person would want to work 9 hours a day 5-6 days a week for 40 years just to retire and die 5 years later.
Right now I get to watch my step father fight cancer, after dealing with numerous health problems for the last 6 years (mainly lungs) and being diagnosed with mild MS. He retired 3 years ago and has spent most of his retirement sick going in and out of hospitals.
He spent 28 years at the same job, working long hours and tons of overtime just so he can 'comfortably retire' and a lot of good that money is going to do him now, He'll probabally die within 5 years of retiring like 60% of the people he worked with in that time.
I'll take poor and happy over rich and miserable any day.
I know what you mean...I value my free time like nothing else. I'm less than a semester away from graduating college and not looking forward to possible 40+ hour weeks at a job.
Amen, brotha.
That's why I'm leaving the land of beer and honey to live at home, with my family and friends, in the place I belong. I'll be taking a hefty pay cut, assuming I find a job, but cost of living is much lower, the people are far more friendly, and life is just more relaxed and slow there.
If I stayed in the city, sure I'd be fairly well off, and I could have all the toys I want, but I'm positive my heart would explode from stress mixed with road rage within ten years. Not worth it.
I know the feeling! If I moved away I could be making much more than I'm making here. Even if I just moved to Halifax I could be making $5k per year more doing the same job.
I want to move back "'round da bay" but my wife won't hear of it. I told her when I retire we're selling the house and I'm moving back. She can either stay or come with - it's up to her BUT I'M GOING. :)
I agree with it all, mostly.
"you cannot buy happiness" TRUE, very very true, but it also hard to be happy when you are poor and fighting just to buy groceries and pay for gas to get to work and fighting over money with your wife.
a little bit of money goes along way, I don't need to be rich, but it would be nice to be able to not stress over money either.
No matter how much money you have, you will always stress over it. Don't be fooled by the machine.
In the words of Notorious B.I.G.
"Mo' money, mo' problems."
Being happy with your life and who you are can never be bought with a bigger paycheck.
That`s exactly i was talking with mom, yesterday. about the true meaning of "money" and "happiness"....
Of course, she lives in a tiny mexican village...
Sorry, i`m not good since i knocked my head with something and dont remember certain things....
Jim your so cool for qouting Notorious! I'll give you the first rep point I've ever given!
Hmm, well I used to live in a $250,000 house with my dad pulling at least $5000 a month. And we had lots of nice things. After my mom and dad got divorced, now he makes maybe $2000 a month and we live in a 100,000 house.
I hated it at first, but I like living where I do more. Rich people can be pretty stuck up all the time. All my old freinds I play nintendo and things like that. All my new freinds, we just hang out and talk. Some times help each other with our cars.
I like just hanging out way more then the new xbox 360's.
Hey me and my wife talk about htis all the time. We make enough to be comfortable but not rich by any means.......We think back to when we first got married I was working Full time for minimum wage she was working part time for minimum and going to college. We had our own place and everything. Its funny when we were both making 4.25 an hr, how much simpler life was and how much more we enjoyed things we did. When you can afford to do the things you once couldnt they tend to loose their appeal. We wish sometimes things were back like they were. When going out to dinner and a movie was the best evening together that you could have., or even to go walking on the beach cause you couldnt afford anything else. Once you have the money to do other things these small enjoyable things seems to disappear.
yup i agree but with money it helps you think your happy cuz you end up a the shrink and then you can get drugs
but seriously you need money for chicks
And you don't need those kind of chicks.
It is a part of Newfoundland history that people move away for work. They've moved to New York and Boston to build the sky spers, Ontario to work in the factories, and Alberta to work in the oil fields. Most of them long to be back home but the desire for money keeps them away.
A verse form the newfoundland song Salc00cher Joys (http://"http://www.buddywasisname.com/5_flatout.htm")
Ok, not trying to step on any toes here, but I'll be the first to tell you that money is not "evil." Being rich and being happy are not mutually exclusive, despite what people may see in the movies or in some soap opera. I'd venture to say that a greater percentage of rich people are happier than poor people. It IS one of life's pleasures to pay off the credit card in full every month, own the house and land that you live on, and be able to pay for a car in full.
Not to say a person should sacrifice everything for their career. It's important to realize earning money is a means to an end. I'm thinking specifically of people like jcassity when I say this - I'm sure it was difficult for him to be shipped half way around the world from his family. However, he must have realized the benfits down the road would outweigh whatever challenges he has to face right now.
My parents both are near their 60s, and still work full time. Even if they were going to die the day after they retired and started receiving social security, I'm sure they would still continue working like they are doing now. They don't get pleasure out of buying a new car or a new tv or other material things, but they do find it worthwhile and fulfilling to be able to support me and my sister and live comfortably. Growing up, we never had cable tv, gaming systems, new computers or lots of the "fad" clothing. In that respect, I appreciate that we weren't rich back then, because I do enjoy the things I have right now (this past Christmas I couldn't think of anything that I wanted from my family). However, on the other hand, what we did receive were a safe neighborhood, braces, health insurance (which came in handy when I blew out my knee and had my wisdom teeth removed), college educations, etc. All these things require lots of money and a career, and I think are an important part of providing for your children if they so desire them.
Right now, my sister pulls in close to 200k a year. She'll be the first to tell you money is not a bad thing. Money is power, and power is the ability to determine your own destiny. She doesn't live paycheck to paycheck. She can go wherever she wants, whenever she wants and do whatever she wants at any time. Isn't that happiness as well? At the same time, I do agree with tbird85 that life's simple pleasures are still the best. Even today, neither of us has cable tv, because we always considered it an extravagent luxury. A good time for her is eating popcorn and watching a movie with her fiance. I think being modest is definitely important when it comes to money, no matter how much you have.
What it comes down to is stability. My mom is currently fighting cancer as well, and i've asked her if she regrets working everyday up until now. She tells me she's had no greater pleasure than watching me and my sister grown up, and being able to afford our education and being able to allow us to get on our own feet. Her career, and the family's income, will also enable us to handle this cancer as best as possible - without financial concern, or the fear that we'll be dependant on anyone but ourselves, or the insurance company will screw us. I think this is one of life's pleasures as well, even in this unfortunate time, that came about because of (yep, you guessed it) money. In addition, in this society where the elderly or not respected like they should be, who will take care of you when you can't work anymore or become ill? I respect my parents, and i'm sure they are very relieved that they covered all their bases and they won't feel like they are a burden upon their children.
I think it's borderline dangerous to be so idealistic in embracing the fisherman's logic. Yes, everyday pleasures are important, but working hard at something (even if it is only for money) at the cost of this "happiness" is not always a bad thing. I'm 24 right now, and will be in school (with negative income) for at least another 6 years. I spend about 8 hours in the library everyday, and of course this makes me very unhappy. I miss my friends and family. Should I just quit right now? No way. Even if I die when I'm 31, I still believe i'm making the most with what I have, right now. For me, living for the future is more fulfilling than living for the now, even if the future never comes.
If that fisherman had built his business empire, he wouldn't just return to the village and be the same person. His kids would get the medicine and education they might need, he could provide for his parents, and he would have brought back a sense of accomplishment. Worth the trade for a few years of missed "siestas"? I say hell yea, sign me up.
Sorry for the very, very long post. Maybe I should have had a siesta and a tequila instead, and made my reply with the minimum effort I could get away with. But what would have been the point of that ... ? :D
Money itself may not be evil, but the City sure is. I'm running away from that, not cash. If I could take my job with me, I would in a heartbeat.
I kind of agree with what you are saying Andrew. Most of what you said, though, talks about money as a way to take care of yourself when you get older in case no one else can or wants to. Either that, or use it when you're working and have kids to be sure that they will be able to take care of themselves when they get older.
You said
I disagree. I think freedom is power. If you rely on money to determine your destiny, then you are bound by money, a slave to it even. Happiness is not being able to go wherever you want or do whatever you want any time you want. Sure that's entertaining and enjoyable. But true happiness is being satisfied with who you are when everything else is taken away, including the money.
Money is not evil in and of itself. It is and end to a means.
The
love of money is what is evil. When you will do anything to get more money and you associate your amount of money with your level of happiness. That is what is bad.
:bs:
Insanity at its finest, If you think Money is going to change your life you are correct. But I think what most people are tring to say is that money doesnt make you happy.............you, your family and your freinds make you happy regardless of you financial status. I think its great that some people can make 200k a year and live happily. Before you say that Money is power go to a homeless shelter just ask questions to people there. 80% will tell you they were very prosperous and fortunate until they got bored having everything they wanted and turned to the more exciting life.........and ultimately ruined their lives, yeah they changed their destiny.....................:hick:
Sorry for the Edit.........Have Children I'm willing to bet this statement changes.
I understand what he trying to say, working hard and providing for yourself and yours can bring the happiness desired.
I don't live at home, I only see my wife on the weekends. I bust my butt everyday and don't make very much money. I am pretty happy, I like who I am, I love my wife more and more each day. But I can tell you right now, if you dropped a couple million on me, I could be much happier, I could see my wife everyday, ensure my children will never be hungry, and that they will be able to go to any college they can earn their way into. But that is why I work hard everyday, to reach that goal, part of being happy is the getting there, the working for it, the feeling that you ARE doing someting for you and yours, I will do my best never to miss any of my kids future lives (none yet wife still in school, man speaking of money...) but if i have to work a few overtime days to make sure they have no worries in their young lives and that they are provided for the best I can, I feel that is more inportant that sleeping in and napping in the middle of the day.
but I guess it is in what makes you happy, I want to make sure I can provide for my family, and feel like I have made a difference everyday, worked hard, and am being a good person. these things are important and what truely make me happy. though I would like to see my wife everyday, I can't imagine living a world away, at least i can go home on the weekends.
Hey, thanks for the reply Jim, I appreciate your thoughts and that you got through my whole, long spiel.
I should clarify. Pursuing money for money's sake is obviously not the right way to go. I'm sure we're all appalled at how those Enron execs blew millions of dollars through their own greed and hedonism.
I would argue that money, while not in direct correlation with freedom, does help the process along. How much better would life be if you had a healthy savings account earning you interest? If you had no mortgage or rent payment hanging over your head? If you weren't always pressured to pay back student loans and credit cards? In my opinion, debt, bills and credit ratings really hamper one's "freedom," even though it's not in the Constitutional sense of the meaning.
Not only does money make life better without these stresses, I feel there are more tangible freedoms involved. How cool would it be to actually have the financial freedom to go anywhere you wanted, see all your closest family and friends wherever they might be? Become your own boss by opening your own business? With money, this is all stuff that can be enjoyed now, not in the future or through your children. Doesn't the opening of more doors, the availibility of more options, qualify as "empowerment"? Isn't being able to spend more time with family and friends "happiness"?
I feel it's important to differentiate between being satisfied with yourself as a person, and being satisfied to your quality of life. I agree with you Jim, being satisfied with the person you are has nothing to do with money. However, as it pertains to tbirdscott's original story, I am arguing from the perspective of quality of life. I feel it's a mistake to sit back in an idle fashion and be satisfied because you are having a drink and spending time with friends and family, or you enjoy life's little pleasures. Personally, I feel that is too idealistic. Eventually, whether it's a material investment, debt or a family emergency, money is the answer. How else will you pay the hospital or get those Cougar/T-Bird parts you want?
Bottom line is this: If I pulled out 10,000 in cash and offered it to you with no strings attached, would you accept it? If you did accept it, why (weren't you satisfied with your life as it was)? And finally, how would you spend that money and how would it make you feel and why? It's not all about greed or the love of money itself. It's about what the money can enable you and your family to do - right now, AND in the future.
I'm arguing that pursuing this money/career, at the sacrifice of other pleasures in life, is sometimes the right thing to do because it will pay dividends down the road. I hope everyone remembers that this is only my own opinion, and that's why I personally disagree with the tbirdscott's story, even though I'm very glad he posted it to at least make me think about the fisherman's perspective.
T-bird85, thanks for your input.
It's interesting that you raised the BS flag and insinuated that I am insane. I want to know where you get your numbers. 80% of homeless people "were very prosperous and fortunate until they got bored having everything they wanted and turned to the more exciting life"? Please elaborate and cite your sources. I HAVE worked in homeless shelters, and was an EMT in Washington, DC for 3 years. I now live in Philadelphia and take classes in a hospital. I've met and treated lots of homeless people, but I must be that lucky one who met primarily the 20% that had mental problems and/or the disadvantaged upbringing, who lacked the ability to ever be "prosperous" or "fortunate" or "bored of having everything." I suppose 80% are vets too?
What I'm saying is that yes, family and friends are very important to happiness. However, I do believe that money does make life better and more happy. Call me insane, call me greedy, call 80% of the homeless population ex-millionaires, but that is my opinion only.
No thanks! :D But I'll let you know one day (waaaayyyy down the road) if my children change my opinion.
I agree 100% - even a city as small as Halifax (and the even smaller suburban town of Sackville that I live in) is just too loud, busy, fast, and uncaring for me. I lived 30 of my 34 years in Sackville and am now looking at moving the hell out because I'm tired of the traffic, noise and general hassle of doing even everyday things around town. The population of Sackville went from less than a thousand in the 60s to about 10,000 in the 70's to 25,000 in the 80's and 90's to over 60,000 now. People used to move from Halifax to Sackville to get away from the city - problem is they gradually brought the city with them. Halifax used to have a reputation for friendly people and courteous drivers, but now it's as bad as any other city. Hell, when a light turns green you have to wait for four or five cars going the other way to run their red light before you dare to enter an intersection, and if you want to get out into traffic don't wait for somebody to let you in, you'll grow old. Now you simply force your way in, cut somebody off, and answer their horn with your finger.
My very short visit to Montreal this past fall cemented my distaste for city life - Halifax was mild compared to that. But it's still bad.
The house I'll be looking at tomorrow is in the small town of Upper Kennetcook - a town of about 500 people. No more traffic, no more fart cans, no traffic lights... just peace, quiet, and blackflies... and when I want to go to the city it's only 45 minutes away
Drugs need i say more..............
I'm not even going to jump into this thread.
I guess I did
I believe that I would be happier if I had money, and alot of it. I lost a relationship because the girl (who I'm madly in love with) didn't see me as a supporting individual.... Need I say more?
see you do need money to get chicks
told ya
:flip:
:giggle:
Claude, if she based the strength of your relationship on your ability to pay for shiznit, she's not the type of partner for a good meaningful relationship anyway.
On this subject of money, I remember hearing that a substantial percentage, more than half, I think (not sure on the figures, I may research it more) of people who've won large lottery jackpots end thier lives in debt and bankruptcy.
Here (http://"http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Savinganddebt/Savemoney/P99649.asp") is a story about such fortune to misfortune. After reading that, uhh, yeah, I think I'll start saving some money.
That's like poetry, man. (http://www.u-blog.net/cmoisig/img/happycry.gif)
Green acres is the place to be!
Farm livin' is the life for me!!
i grew up both in city (detroit suburb) and small hick town. I would do the hick town anyday of the week. I eventually hope to live in the middle of as much land as possible with as many trees as possible.
just as long as I can get broadband access and car parts..
I am done with this thread it is going nowhere................
You making that post would say otherwise. :giggle: