My ranting about the 3 things mentioned in the title. Please watch and let me know what you guys think!
Hmm, video and audio are 2 seconds out of sync. I'll try to fix that for next video, but this one still works! And thanks for watching!
Money, Philosophy of Success, and Christian Values
My ranting about the 3 things mentioned in the title. Please watch and let me know what you guys think!
Hmm, video and audio are 2 seconds out of sync. I'll try to fix that for next video, but this one still works! And thanks for watching!
Yep.
It is maddening, to me, that I have to put so much focus on material things-- on the necessities of living. I have to put so much focus on my finances just to get by and to make sure my family is fed (and proper nutrition is important to me, too; I'm not just going to fill my kids up on cheap junk food), that my boys are kept warm, and safe.
It's like Maslow's Pyramid. I don't completely agree with the philosophy. but there is some truth to the idea that it's very difficult to focus on more "spiritual" matters, when basic physiological needs are not being met. Most people are not going to be too concerned with spiritual development or with helping others, while they are being chased through the jungle by a rabid lion.
Wouldn't it be great if I could just go and focus 100% on giving my time to others, serving in the homeless shelters, giving away everything I have so that others need not go without....But then, by doing that, I would become one of the homeless and destitute myself, and then where am I? No longer able to serve, instead waiting for someone else to come along and serve me. I have become a burden on society, then.
No. To really be able to put that sort of time and resources into helping others, I would have to be independently wealthy-- and securely so-- myself, before I could really help people the way I'd want to.
If I had a million dollars, I could use that money to go and adopt twenty kids from Africa. But then, how would I take care of them? How would I be able to continue to meet their needs once that 1 million dollars was gone?
It all comes down to security. Security that my basic needs-- and the needs of my family-- will still be met. And so I am sorely limited in the kind of service I can give to others, but I do my best to do what I can.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, MD. You may probably get some flak from others, but I enjoyed your rambling...
My life's work (haha):
http://www.the16types.info/vbulletin/blog.php?b=709
Input, PLEASEAnd thank you
Thank you pianosinger. And exactly: the weak can't help the weak. You must become strong first yourself.Originally Posted by pianosinger
And how do you become strong? Like you said, becoming independently, securely wealthy first. And then I can focus all my time, even after 'retiring' on continuing to work, earning more money, to donate it all back, and help others.
And if I can do that in a business, which also focuses on meeting the needs of people, and coincidentally, get rich by helping people, so I can make enough money to help people even more, then I'm going to do it! And I think it's entirely ethical, Christian, and best for society. A concrete, practical way in which I can give back.
And I agree, what you said about Maslow's as well. It's almost like 'being rich' in a way, is the most ethical thing to do, so you can finally stop worrying about your own needs! And focus entirely on others! I think a lot of corrupt people splurge money on many cars, big homes, etc., like I said in the video, and that is wrong! You shouldn't be satisfied with material things, that's aiming to 'be rich' for the entirely wrong reasons! I'll continue to surround myself with other successful, Christian friends, who focus on continuing to give back, helping others, and "serving others" as my friend Mike says.
Money isn't the root of all evil, greed is. If I can give my extra money to people who need it, donate, with a smile, as well as give my time, going on missions trips, building homes, etc., that is a good thing. But, I must first be able to afford doing that on my own. Being independent, 'retired' almost. That's my goal in becoming rich. Ultimately so I'm secure enough financially, so that I can focus on helping other people 100% of the time.
Oh... and I'm sure I'll get some flak too.Half-nervous, half-prepared for it. People will probably hate that I call them 'selfish', or people who think materialism is ok. I do come across strong in my Christian values, and I know a lot of people find Christians who do that annoying. But it's what I think, and maybe it'll help a few people change their perspectives for the better.
Wow! Just finished watching all 31 minutes of this, and boy was it worth it! Very empowering! Really reinforcing entrepreneurship as the way to help society, and thinking outside of the box, outside of college and politics! Very easy to watch too, he has a good sense of humor, is able to relate to the audience, so it was not just informative but entertaining as well!
This is awesome, thank you thank you thank you Capitalist Pig! Haha.
I'm glad my youtube video reminded you of this, because he mentions a lot of the same points I made. I feel much more confident that not only what I want to do in my business, is ethically right, but truly the best way to help people, and help society overall.
Especially the last few minutes, starting at minute 27, relate to me perfectly:
1) Always work. Be in touch with the real world!
2) Forget about money. Seeing it as a "sign of success" but not the "key reward". (Hehe, that's what I mentioned in my video too!And what a couple of my Christian friends told me in real life too.)
3) Focus on the task at hand. Working 18 hour days, not taking vacation, and being really committed to getting the job done. (He phrases it "intense attachment to the job they're doing".)
4) "Surround themselves with good people who are smart." Emphasis on "good" and "smart". Kind of what I was talking about, surrounding myself with successful Christian businesspeople too.
5) Always learn from others. Haha @ "steal ideas as often as possible"
6) "Find the niche that everyone else is missing."
7) "Improve the world on the margin. Don't seek to do big things, but seek to do good things in small ways, and that those accumulate as the years go on!"
8) "Don't plan." '5 year plans don't work', 'just observe, be flexible'... this is something I've generally done my whole life, but was trying to do more the past several months... although I think it's good to be organized, I think I was right all along, in just observing, watching, and going with the flow. (Past several months have been hectic for me, but yes, I'll get back to 'not planning' for huge time commitments in the future. And be open to how I can help others.)
9) "Act as fast as you can! Never delay."
10) "When you compete, don't seek to destroy." 'Fierce competitors', but "never envy". Simply seek to do better.
11) "SERVE OTHERS. ALWAYS GIVE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE!" Have a "genuine desire" to serve others, in order to achieve not only wealth, but happiness.
12) Stay away from the realm of politics and the state as much as possible. All entrepreneurs find freedom and pursue it.
All those things are traits of successful entrepreneurs. I feel confident now that, with those things, I can go forward and be very successful hopefully one day too! And help change the world!
... And I'll be watching more Jeffrey Tucker videos in the future too.
Cool, I'm glad you liked it. This speech was given as part of a seminar originally intended for high school students, but I found it was relevant for older audiences as well. I think he presents a very cogent perspective on what people like myself truly believe about society and progress, and dispels many of the myths and preconceived notions people have about "capitalists" and the free market.Wow! Just finished watching all 31 minutes of this, and boy was it worth it! Very empowering! Really reinforcing entrepreneurship as the way to help society, and thinking outside of the box, outside of college and politics! Very easy to watch too, he has a good sense of humor, is able to relate to the audience, so it was not just informative but entertaining as well!
Due to these stereotypes and misconceptions, I actually try to shy away from terms like capitalism, anarchy, and the like. I prefer terms like the free market, or the market process, and autarchy, as defined by Robert LeFevre. But I digress...
Here's his Mises Daily archive, too. It's all of the articles that have been published to the LvMI website under his name.... And I'll be watching more Jeffrey Tucker videos in the future too.
more like 3.5 seconds
“Whether we fall by ambition, blood, or lust, like diamonds we are cut with our own dust.”
I'm not very keen on becoming rich, I didn't even know what to do with the million dollars if I had it. As you said, my money is gone when I'm dead so why should I dedicate my life to getting rich (or die tryin')? (one of the stupidest sayings I know) I want enough money for a comfortable and decent life standard, but that's it more or less. And, in most of the cases, this is covered by a good job, especially if it's some higher education necessary to do it. I pity
people who need status symbols like big cars or huge villas rather than admiring them. It's not that I wouldn't value a self-made man, who worked his way up to the top, these people deserve their success because they had good ideas or made good deals. But people who consider themselves to be better/smarter than others just because of their wealth ('rich kids') disgust me. As I said, not every rich person is necessarily like that, but there are enough of them.
btw: I don't think you one needs to be christian to get to this idea.
„Man can do what he wants but he cannot want what he wants.“
– Arthur Schopenhauer
I'd echo a lot of what's already been said in the thread. If I got one, two, three million dollars in succession, I would take what I needed from it (pay off bills, house payments, expenses, etc.) and then I would take whatever voluminous sum of money were leftover, drop it all in a burlap sack, and leave it on the front step of the nearest charity.
Money to me is a means to an end. A pat on the back and a shake of the hand for all of my hard work. To just scratch of a lotto ticket and win a million wouldn't require any effort on my part. No work. Just blind luck. Who wants to earn money that way? Hell, that doesn't even qualify as earning it.
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