Would I rather be rich or smart?
This was the question proposed last night at our local Toastmasters club. Almost everyone answered the question by saying they would rather be rich than smart.
So I posed this question to the members of our club:
We are the 1%
Do you realize that we are part of the global 1%? That we are the richest group of people on the earth? Do you realize that when you are thirsty, all you have to do is to open a tap and clean drinkable water comes out of it? Do you realize that all of you have shoes on your feet? Do you realize that all you of you have a bed where to sleep tonight and food in your refrigerator?
Stop comparing yourself
I wonder why is it that we have this tendency to compare ourselves with people who have more and we don’t appreciate how good we have it.
Dasha is wealthier than Warren Buffett
Moving on…
I asked the members of our club if they knew who Warren Buffett was. Most of them said yes.
Then I suggested the following idea:
Warren Buffet is 88 years all and his net worth is $88.6 Billion dollars.
I asked Dasha, a beautiful and intelligent girl who is 22 years old and who has the wealth of a typical college student.
“Dasha, if Warren Buffett traded his money and his age with you, for your money and your age, would you do it?”
“Of course not.” She answered.
“Who would trade places with Warren Buffett?” I asked.
Only one person among 30 members rose his hand.
You see, not only we are the richest 1% on the planet, but the members of our group are so wealthy they wouldn’t trade places with Warren Buffett, one of the richest persons of the planet.
How to be happy with what we have
In our culture of excess, the media tells us that our happiness is dependent on our ability to earn more and to consume more.
Contentment is not sexy
Contentment is not appealing. Doing with what we have is not exciting. We have to buy the latest (insert name of item or service) to demonstrate success and worth.
Some of the riches to which we have become indifferent
Happiness with what we have and who we are is never enough. As I walk down the streets of Montreal, I enjoy a sense of security that is almost non-existent in the rest of the world. I have no fear when I walk out of my apartment. I enjoy seen gay men or woman holding hands without fear of being attacked. I enjoy seeing Muslim women wearing their scarves without fear of being harassed. I enjoy being in a democratic government where I can express my opinion without fear of prosecution. I enjoy being a Latino without being discriminated against. This is the wealth that we already have.
I can always find a job and put food on the table, that’s wealth…
I know that I can always find a job and that I can earn enough to pay my rent and buy my food. I have the luxury of going to the park and enjoy one of the hundreds of festival available for free. I know that I can get sick and that someone will take care of me. That knowledge is worth millions of dollars.
Our culture encourages us to earn more and to consume more, but none of those actions give us lasting happiness.
If we allow ourselves to step out of reality, artificially created by the marketers, we can start to address more important questions in life. How are we fulfilled? What really makes us happy? What gives us peace of mind.
For me, right now, is my photography and my dancing. I live the life I am meant to live, not the life sold to me. I have decided to stop desiring wealth and instead to embrace contentment.
If I have to answer the question, if I would rather be rich or smart. My answer is: I am already rich, I have enough, but I would love to be a bit smarter.