12 March 2007
Money, and the pursuit thereof
- The Pursuit of Money: Part One
- The Pursuit of Money: Part Two
Alternate title: Random thoughts on wealth, pursuing it, and how it applies to you.
This post is inevitable. Given the nature of topics on this blog (faith and personal finance, for the just-joining-us among us),
On some of the most popular personal finance blogs out there, it seems that the end-goal of the writer and the readers is to become rich (see blogs: Get Rich Slowly and iwillteachyoutoberich on sidebar). This is probably a wise move, as I’m sure the first thing a lot of people think when they hear personal finance is “how a person becomes rich and stuff.”
On the vastly different other hand, we have faith type blogs, where the discussion of “getting rich” is at very best outside the general scope of the topic, and at worst considered suspicious or greedy.
So where do I fit on this vast gulf of viewpoints? Or, more to the point: how do I feel about the pursuit of large amount of money and the rich?
The Paradox
Before we get too deep into this post, I’d like to temper my words. You see, its really quite entertaining to discuss “the rich” as if they are some distant group of lucky/hard-working individuals with 10^x dollars in the bank (where x is a number higher than, say, 5). Why? Because if you’re reading this, we can assume you likely have a computer, and if not, you certainly have the free time that allows you freedom to enjoy things that have nothing to do with figuring out where your next meal is going to come from.
What I mean to say is that although you might be in debt or out of work, you still are already rich compared to easily several billion people. I know this point is made time and time again, but it needs to be repeated so we keep the proper perspective on such things.
ok, enough copping out
So what do I really think? Well, I think we benefit enormously from the fact that millions of people strive after getting more and more money. It’s the type of driving force that starts new businesses that seem doomed for failure but end up thriving, that forces people to figure out slightly better or cheaper versions of what people want and need, and that gives people the ambition they need to do nearly impossible things.
On the other hand, it also is the same force that makes people miss their children growing up as they pour their lives into the next promotion, the force that objectifies employees into a commodity like any other, and that makes companies attempt to get away with crimes that would lock normal citizens up for decades.
So really, as far as earning boatloads of cash goes, I have no problem with the activity itself. I’m focused more on the how of the matter. How many people’s heads did you have to step on to get to your wealth? If it’s zero, more power to you. Any more than that, and I start to have concerns.
There’s more to this, of course. On Wednesday, we’ll talk more this, focused on what you do with wealth and less on how you get it.
2 Comments currently posted.
Amanda says:
Ariah Fine says:
I like the idea of not stepping on peoples heads.
Amen to that.
Sounds good so far. its true what you said about money and faith never really being talked about together in the same sentence unless there is some sort of suspicion being raised. I, on the other hand, know that it is biblical. I know that a lof of christians have gotten off balance in this area- either dispising money period and developing a poverty mentality (which I think comes from being burned by the other side of this), or the other side- loving it and desireing it so much as to use God as an excuse to fulfill their greed. OK MR. blogman… let’s hear what you have to say!
Amanda