Fellow humans,
You know people who are almost never open to new ideas. Their life motto might be “my way or the highway.” Having faults is okay, because we’re only fatally flawed human beings with a wide range of emotions, and generally we barely understand ourselves. However, closing ourselves off from learning new things is not okay, because we might likely become stagnant like a smelly pond.
I was having an interesting conversation last night, the lightbulb went off, and it’s still lit. I’m always trying to learn new things. In fact, my daily reading and occasional writing can’t have any other effect on me. Everyday I’m learning something new, and I don’t want my life to be any other way. Last post was about creative outlets, so following up with lifelong learning only makes sense. Our minds will literally die if we don’t exercise them.
Have you ever sat around all day watching TV? I know I have. After sitting idly for a while, don’t you feel a strange type of stress on your brain? I know I do. Maybe our bodies are trying to tell us something. Short periods of time watching TV or another brainless activity is all right, but usually only in moderation. Humans are innovative creatures, we need to be challenged, and our minds need to be consistently stimulated.
When thinking about people at the top of their game, I can imagine them trying to figure something out — like a mechanic struggling to understand what’s wrong with the engine, or a group of driven individuals brainstorming about how to make the world a better place for future generations. Our life’s purpose is to continuously push our own boundaries. Being outside of our comfort zone should be our comfort zone.
People often ask me what I do with my time (because I don’t have a job), and sometimes I feel like the best way to respond is to say that I do my own thing, and my lifestyle works for me. Challenging and sometimes breaking traditions is one of the most difficult yet rewarding things I’ve ever done, and still do. Basically unlearning things from my younger years, and learning a better way moving forward.
Money is something I needed to unlearn. Growing up, the dollar was money. Period. Maybe we were bred to think this way, maybe not. Regardless, the dollar is one of the worst forms of money ever used on a large scale. If you’ve played the board game Monopoly, then you should having a decent understanding for how the “banker” works. The banker simply handles the money, but does not take any extra for himself. U.S. Government officials have the banker’s job, plus they take extra for themselves.
One simply cannot be in charge of the entire money supply for an entire population. Unless they don’t want their economy to flourish? The dollar has been suffocating our economy for decades, and the effects are certainly catching up to us. What do I mean? Debt. Inflation. Owing money is equivalent to putting a rope around our financial life’s neck, and steadily squeezing until we no longer feel movement. The U.S. owes too much money all over the world, because the dollar is largely created via debt.
One of the biggest problems with having control over the money supply is the temptation to be greedy. Monetary policy and greed are like oil and water — not mixing well. If you were able to create new money on your computer, would you? The answer for nearly everybody would be a resounding YES PLEASE
. The consequences are mathematically unavoidable though. Creating new and extra money dilutes the value of the whole money supply (read: everybody’s money), which decreases the purchasing power (making things more expensive).
I’ve already learned the basics of money, to the point of no return. I will never trust the dollar or fiat currency ever again. I will trust stateless money like bitcoin. My next goal is to learn how to convince people to dive in the rabbit hole to start educating themselves. Once somebody understands the concept and history of money, it’s a rap — the dollar seems like arcade tokens, and bitcoin seems like real estate or gold. Unless something better is written, I’ll continue recommending The Bitcoin Standard.
Until next time,
Salvatore Norge
P.S. — Bear markets are quite boring. Somebody please buy $100 billion worth of bitcoin right now. Thank you.
“Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.” — PROVERBS 30:8-9
I’m not very wise. Never financial advice. Do your research.