Hi all.
It's Saturday afternoon, a little after 4pm. A cold October weekend's sunshine streaming in through my windows, which are streaked with office cat's paw prints as I sit at the desk and ponder over stuff. My mug of freshly made coffee is gently steaming on the desktop as I type.
I'm pretty much middle aged. Given the average "3 score and ten" my Dad used to frequently reference as a life span, its fair to say I'm more or less half way through my particular path of life. I am once more out of work, as in paid employment, after 20months at local bike shop ended with that familiar taste of disappointment and broken albeit false promises one often gets at such times.
I read on the web of Brexit, of a potential 5, 10 or even 20%drop in living standards, whilst watching the politicians ride the wave of public opinion be it informed or no. Propelling society onward. I look at my bank balance. Its not all that healthy and at this point a bag of crisps is very much a major financial decision, going over a tenth of my total available.
In a little over 9 days my rent is due. Another £400. A few days after that I have my Daughter to stay for a week in the holidays. There is genuine concern here for direction, decision and destination as to where all these circumstances may ultimately lead.
But I sit and write this to you on an iMac. Dual screened, 4 years old but still pretty nifty. I have a fridge full of stuff and even though my clothes recently came from a charity shop haul I actually have clothes... I own a number of bikes, a vehicle, and, as of this moment now, this instant have a comfortable life. No one is bombing me, or shooting at me. No one is invading my space except at my own invitation.
It lead me to a question. But firstly to a memory. Years ago I read a book. It was a Tom Clancy novel. Executive orders. Its a big thick political intrigue plot, and features a cyber attack on the stock market, hitting all the back ups of the days trading so that when everything goes off, the hero, Jack Ryan, has to figure this stuff out in a short space of time since the business of business has ground to a halt. The solution was very very clever, and yet simple and profound. (If you want to know what it was go read the book I implore you.. ) but its underlaying principle stayed with me...
The money system, be it dollar, euro, pound or dinars, is based in psychology. The accepted wisdom and view of collective wealth. A £5 note in GBP has no physical value. It's paper. Its pretty much useless except as a token to pass on to another who believes in its value. If you have one take it out and read it. Printed on it are the words " I promise to pay the bearer the sum of" so in that sense a fiver is promise note, an IOU, and nothing more. That it, a physical object is ascribed value far beyond its practical physical worth is an act of collective belief. No more, no less.
Consider a billionaire. He has a mansion and on Monday is worth 20 Billion dollars, in property, business etc. On Tuesday he wakes to find that due to a political change his 20 billion dollars is now suddenly worth 20% less at 16 billion, because of overseas trading etc etc.. However nothing else has changed physically, as he has exactly the same infrastructure he did on Monday, but suddenly he has seemingly "lost" more wealth that many acquire in a single life time.
So. This collective act of belief in a banking system leads us all to chase that which has no value, save that we can acquire that which HAS value through the disposal of that which does not, simply by swapping a fiver for a bag of apples and and something to drink for example.
However, paradoxically, the less we have of that which has no intrinsic value the more it acquires that value since we have to choose what we acquire with it, thus we become aware of what we can't have and thus start to thirst for more of that which has no value until we acquire enough of it whereupon we reach a point at which it almost becomes valueless once more because we have so much of it we can have anything of real value that we wish. .. (ala the billionaire)
Head hurting yet?
So pondering this I asked a question. What is wealth? what are riches? How does one define as a wealthy person. I looked at the car park a few days ago in tescos in my local town, the first ten cars were worth well in excess of 150 thousand GBP combined, yet none were "ultra wealthy" cars. I doubt their owners would call themselves rich. But if one pauses and looks at what we need verses what we have, all those people are rich beyond the wildest dreams of others. In some places simply walking into a room, flicking a little plastic button on the wall and having light burst forth is a wondrous thing. From a certain POV that is billionaire level.
I may not have many fivers at present, but I have other things. Access to knowledge. The ability to learn. Awareness of self. Resources and freedom of movement, and broadly speaking freedom from threats to my person so I can go about my daily living unhindered save for the.shortage of IOU's in my pockets. Pockets kindly made available to me through the local charity shops.
There are undoubted uncertainties ahead for me and some may be difficult, even unpleasant, but I finish my cup of coffee and smile as the sun sets over the Derwent valley darkening my room so that I'll soon have to put some lights on...probably candles since thats cheaper, warmer and waaaaay more atmospheric...
I have lived periods where the IOU's in my bank were stacking up nicely, and thousands passed through my hands on a monthly basis, but at the time I always wanted more. Feeling behind the curve, never quite there, always playing catch up....all the while missing the knowledge that the very thing that I was chasing was right there in my hands. I'd be lying if I said there wasn't regret at recollection of my foolhardiness, frustration at having been on "team have", whilst all the while labouring under a "have not" culture. never the less the lesson that followed was very much needed, for it brought me to this point in time and for that I am grateful.
I would submit that true wealth is knowing your worth, and having the awareness to know when you are wealthy, with the humility to be thankful for it. That is worth more than the largest pay check in the land.
keep safe, be #stubbornlyoptimistic and don't let life, or any else, get you down.
The Metaphorical billionaire.
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