That was one hell of a title.
Well, it should be - because the subject I am going to talk today is one hell of topic.
I will be suggesting, or more-so expanding on this idea that I am about to present, by first showing you a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson:
“The desire for gold is not for gold. It is for the means of freedom and benefit.”
Two things, I have seen this quote around on the internet several times, and even posted it myself, but I cannot find a proper citation for the line within Emerson’s writing, so take that with a grain of caution.
Also, if you don’t know who Mr. Emerson is, you are more likely to have heard of Henry David Thoreau, both of these men believed in the philosophical ideas of Transcendentalism. Which surprising - is not about Dentists who become Buddhas, but about individuality and self-reliance.
Take it away Wikipedia:
“A core belief of transcendentalism is in the inherent goodness of people and nature. Adherents believe that society and its institutions have corrupted the purity of the individual, and they have faith that people are at their best when truly "self-reliant" and independent.”
Gold is a representation to many* as* freedom, but in reality is it is a representation of freedom, meaning gold is not the source of freedom, but the ownership of gold in some ways is symbolically equivalent to being free, as well as the financial benefits.
People still have the same idealistic view of gold but instead of having a bar of gold it’s now owning a hard drive full of Crypto.
Which is understandable.
So, let me hit you with a right hook here, now that I have got you off balance.
Consider this:
I want people to be financially solvent, and Cryptocurrency may be a great way to achieve this, but being aware why you actually want something can reveal deeper truths. In my current opinion, people in the modern world want to be Crypto/Gold rich because their current spending habits are constricting them, and they are not financially self-aware.
Wanting to make money is a natural desire, you need resources to survive, most of us on Steemit are here because we believe in the potential of the platform and we believe we can make money on it, which is a great thing.
Seeking an ideal is a good thing to do, it helps guide you along a path that is often fruitful, it’s why pursuing Gold, Money, Crypto, and even Religious and or Spiritual paths are such productive goals, as long as the nuance of self-awareness is applied.
A golden cross and a golden bar can both create wonderful good for the world, yet they can equally create as much suffering. They are items of potential, and the desire for being closer to God can create and destroy life, depending on the application of the pursuit.
Okay,
Let me give you something actionable, because I actually want you to take away real value from this article, rather than just some quotes and me talking about Gold.
Broadly speaking in terms of symbolism and desire:
Gold is the ideal financial asset, but their are other valuable things you can aquire. One of the most important things is being financially lucid, if you found a flash drive with $10,000 worth of Bitcoin, how quickly would your monthly living cost of living go up until it was unsustainable?
Pretty damn fast in most cases, which is why most lottery winners lose money.
Gambling on lottery tickets isn’t financially responsible, so why would anyone who buys lottery tickets responsibly use the winnings?
Now that we can see the absurdity in others, let's see the absurdity in ourselves.
Do you know your monthly cost of living over a one year period? Do you budget? Are you investing money into assets? How much do you spend on coffee a year? (If the answer is not a hard numerical number this is a red flag.)
Even worse, how much do you spend on Amazon a year? - (If you can’t give me a hard answer on this one, this is a HUGE issue, impulse spending on Amazon is out of control in the modern world.)
You could be throwing away thousands of dollars a year.
Run a budget.
It you think running a budget is restrictive, then stop brushing your teeth - it’ll save you around 5-10 minutes a day (Which is around the same time it takes to run a budget) and you’ll be free of responsibility.
Yet in a year, guaranteed - you will be paying for a $1,000 cavity filling instead of buying another $4 for a tube of toothpaste that will last you four months.
Spare yourself, many of you have not yet gotten your financial cavities. There is still time. If you under the age of 24, you have most likely not experienced a major recession while living on your own if you the United States.
I see with this most stern attitude that I can, take care of your financial situation before grows completely out of control. Remember, every a oak tree starts as a seed.
Be being financially lucid I was able to actively invest into my Steemit account, if I was not, I wouldn’t have the logistics to support my endeavour here.
Life is too short to sleepwalk through, be financially lucid. (Also get an electric toothbrush, it helps so much when it comes to fighting plague)
Instead of aiming for an idealistic Gold mine or Crypto Portfolio, start with yourself.
Think about your spending habits, expenses, and how you can manage a budget so that you don’t hate yourself but also are lucid of every financial decision that you make, because folks - there’s billion dollar corporations trying to pry money away from you using your emotions against you and exploiting any impulse you may have, and that is not right.
You can fight back by taking charge of your wealth. It’s not about being prude with your money, it’s about being aware how it is being spent, earned, and invested.
When you run a budget over a one year period you will be able to fine tune it to make a optimized plan for spending, and if done right - you can convert $300 in Coffee a year into $300 into valuable crypto assets that could quadruple in price - I mean come on folks, don’t miss out on getting a down payment on your house five years from now because your spending on money Starbucks Coffee.
Spend money on luxuries when you actually can afford to, not when you want to, create a budget so that you can be aware and conscious of your financial decisions, and work to actively invest money that otherwise would go into depreciating assets like clothing.
Invest in real assets that you understand and that could grow in value like: Crypto, Stocks, Real Estate, an Education, or whatever you need to improve the quality of your life, it will create positive feedback loop that will ife your financial situation to new heights and give you the tools to create a life worth living.
Start with how and why the money is spent -
Do that, and the gold will follow.
Cheers.
Citations:
Wikipedia contributors. "Ralph Waldo Emerson." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 30 Jan. 2018. Web. 6 Feb. 2018.
"Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotes." BrainyQuote.com. Xplore Inc, 2018. 6 February 2018. https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/ralph_waldo_emerson_118865 (I am unsure where they got this quote from, but it is attributed to him, so just tread with cauton)
Wikipedia contributors. "Transcendentalism." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 27 Jan. 2018. Web. 6 Feb. 2018.
WTF, I was reading and it said to buy an electric toothbrush! Just 2 days ago I was saying to my girlfriend I thought they were useless! hahaha! Great articled loved it!
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Hahaha. That must've been surreal.
I'll be honest I was skeptical of buying one at first, I thought they were overpriced and needlessly complicated but I'm glad I made the purchase. Between two dentist visits the dentists was impressed by the reduction of plague, and it really, really helped with my gums. It's worth the money, trust me - with less effort you can do more preventative maintenance and it made my dental care much more straight forward. Buy a high quality one, and replace the heads, in the long run it slightly more expensive but over time you save lots of time through the efficiency of the brush head and potentially save costly dental bills with good gum health.
Thank you for your compliment @nielssenm, and thanks for reading :)
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I love the connection you make between transcendentalism and the forming star that is the blockchain. Both have pioneered a cultural shift, challenging people to 'see beyond'. It would make a good thesis :)
What I think is really interesting however, is the similarities in historic contexts between the 1820s/30s and now. Transcendentalism was born in a time of mounting political and civil hostilities as slavery, women's rights, and religious reign came into question - eventually leading to the Civil War. That divide is echoed strongly in today's climate as apoplectic rage and violence seems commonplace. I wonder then how our new technologies will shape our future; if war is inevitable or if the cultural shift will wash over us all?
Thanks so much for sharing!
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Thank you for your detailed reply.
I agree, things today have a lot of similarities with the past which is partly why I referenced older writers as I feel they are still relevant. The divide in our culture in my opinion is a mental one, we are inept at communicating and are now being forced to deal with hundreds of new technologies a year, ideally I hope things remain peaceful and that the current trend of overall violence decreases . It's interesting, I've noticed several people mention that things are getting worse, but I often to point out that we are simply aware now, we didn't have the internet when the mongols invaded or during the crusades. Our lives are getting better, despite the people who watch violent news every morning, then go to read a Facebook feed filled with violence and anger and angry new stories - and who for some reason, keep insisting things are getting worse.
I do think there is a divide in our culture, but the deepest one is within our self. All the big questions in life are being reemerged through technology now, not general spirituality or religion. I for one, am optimistic, as humanity we have come very far and I can't really dwell on the current tension, I just think there is so much to look forward to!
I am sure there will be conflict, but idealistically the cultural shift will be so powerful that the new technologies are the conflict themselves, crypto upsetting the middle men, etc - instead of violence.
Thanks again for the reply, it really means a lot when someone writes something out in detail.
I wish you the best!
Cheers!
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