In, The journey of the soul is the greatest gift allowed us on this travels. Money is a concoction of humanity for the sake of a better system. I feel we push forward for our sons and daughters to the time when food, water, shelter, medicine, education are all abundant and require no [money] effort. When that point arrives when the "resources" of sustaining life are "free," either humans will destroy themselves, or they reach the next level of evolution and become something more than mere survival machines. I think that you may have come to that place, and now the real journey begins. Best, nitro
Originally posted by Lobster: "Every business owner has whatever degree of freedom he desires. To me, that's the most important difference between that and working for someone who has half your brains but thinks he is better because he can exploit you. And he is, as long as you let him." Lobster has an interesting way of portraying a business owner. Every business owner has whatever degree of freedom he desires. Half your brainsâ¦..thinks he is better because he can exploit youâ¦..And he isâ¦â¦ Having been in business as an owner most of my adult life, I can say from many years of experience that exploitation is a two-way street between employers and employees. Employers have full financial responsibility that most employees are not willing to assume. I have offered many key employees part ownership, but as soon as they realize that their financial responsibility increases, they avoid ownership, opting for security of the paycheck instead. Employees can leave any time they choose, even without notice. Employees cannot be held legally accountable for negligent work or performance. You still have to pay them, even when the screw up and cost you money. They want more pay, more benefits, and more time off, etc. etc. etc. Many will cheat on their time card/sheet, use company assets for their personal use, use company time for personal benefit and not think anything about it. As far as having whatever degree of freedom I desire, I wish that were true. I have always been a slave to my business(s) because of the financial responsibility and being most responsible for its success and failure if I didnât do a good job in managing it. Sure, when things are running well, I can take a little time off, but, when it needs more attention, I have to put in more time as well, often working 7 days a week and 12 to 14 hours a day if necessary. Not only does my income not necessarily go up, it sometimes goes down, and if running at a negative rate of cash flow, I may have to add funds from my personal account. No wonder there are many more employees than employers. As a full time trader with a separate business consisting of 6 retail stores, I find that trading requires almost my full attention from about 5:00 A.M. until after 1:00 P.M., whereas my retail business can pretty much hum along as long as I donât neglect it too much. I donât think I would feel emancipated if I were to sell off the retail business and only trade as I do. I would still be devoted to pretty much a full time occupation. I just wouldnât have to put up with employees.
I agree 100% - Only a life lived for others is worth living (Einstein) Any occupation that we choose is about more than simply the money. Sure, we have to make a living to put bread on the table for ourselves, and it's OK to want to use our hard-earned cash to enjoy life. But true happiness - joy - is found when we use our God-given free will to provide for others - family, Church and those less fortunate than us who need help. Self-gratification is temporary and short lived. A generous spirit, and actually doing His will is what brings me joy.....rather than spending money on stuff that benefits only myself. Been there, done that......and it doesn't interest me anymore.
Abe Lincoln once said, "Never do for someone that they should and can do for themselves." I have made decisions in accordance with that rule as well as against it and have found that in the vast majority of cases, the decisions that I made against it turned out to be the wrong decisions. I prefer and try to help people to help themselves, to help them find solutions they can implement. They are almost always stronger for it and more appreciative. This concept seems to define the major difference between the Democrats and Republicans. The Democrats usually want to do everything for people, whereas the Republicans usually prefer to show people how to do it themselves. In other words, the Democrats will give the people fish, but the Republicans will show the people how to catch fish. The difference being feeding the people for a day versus allowing them to feed themselves for life, which allows the people to be self sufficient, which the Democrats do not want.
Spot on. Last Christmas, my wife, 8-year old daughter and I took a bunch of presents to a mother and 12-year old daughter who would have had no presents that year but for the spirit of generosity. Getting involved in Church activities has changed the way I look at life. Giving to those who are struggling......now that's the joy I'm talking about. That's what life is supposed to be about. 50K at Vegas..........I'm shakin' my head too. Honestly man, the feeling you get doing that kind of thing could never compare to what a generous spirit could give you.
TSaimoto, are you serious? do you really need to come to a message board to figure out that answer?? or to realise that the answer will vary according to each individual's values?? obviously actually making money is of vast importance when it comes to trading, otherwise why engage in it. but if you are profitable, it's unlikely that you are doing it SOLELY for the money.. and inandlong, thanks for sharing your story with us there. the topic obviously touched something close to your heart... your response is quite similar to many others from people living in western countries... "money isn't everything" blah blah it might not be "everything", but it's pretty damn close... in my book --> 1. health 2. money heard of Maslow's hierarchy of needs? tell me money doesn't do a bang up job - better than anything i can think of - of satisfying the first few levels of that triangle...