Feb 25th, 2022 Friday Sunny
I recently watched a Chinese movie called “Hello Mr. Billionaire”, a comedy about a soccer goalkeeper who suddenly inherited a large fortune, with the terms that he must legally spend 1 billion rmb (about 160 million dollars) within a month to prove that he is worthy of the inheritance. I find the plot interesting and funny, but also thought-provoking: besides the necessity of setting up the story, what is the point of the terms on this inheritance? Was the deceased just trying to be a jerk??
Well, that is certainly a possibility – after all, rich people can be very quirky 😛 However, I think he might be trying to teach his descendant a life lesson, a lesson on the healthy relationship humans should have with money.
Personally, I think it possible to live a happy and meaningful life with any amount of money. It is a lifestyle choice, and every choice comes with pros and cons. A penniless person CAN live free and easy – he might have artistic talents and paints for people in exchange for food and shelter, and he travels around the world without worrying about taking care of any asset or obligation, though he may not have access to health care, and no family to connect with. Likewise, a billionaire can enjoy many materialistic comforts that s/he can afford, as well as top-quality services from everywhere, but s/he might also have a high-responsibility job that takes up a lot of time that s/he may otherwise wish to spend with family and friends. Any lifestyle choice has its trade-offs.
The key to choose the lifestyle that fits you the best might be to ask yourself, what is the happy and meaningful life that YOU envision for yourself? What other people want may not be what you want, and no lifestyle is absolutely wrong. If you spend your whole life trying to pursue a lifestyle that will not really make you happy, wouldn’t that be sad?
If you were to ask me, would I want to be in the shoes of the goalkeeper in the movie, that is, inheriting a large fortune but having to spend quite a bit in a short time? I think I would be hesitant, because I dislike the pressure of having to spend money in a rush. It is like a shopping spree (except in the movie, the protagonist is not allowed to buy assets or valuables, but he can buy experiences). The excitement and joy will be short-lived, peaking and abating quickly, leaving emptiness behind. To me, it takes time to really savor an experience, no matter how expensive it is. If I were put in the goalkeeper’s situation, I would probably go with investments that take a long time to see pay-off (if any), so by the end of the month, the balance on my account is zero. I don’t know whether that would be considered as cheating 😛
A millionaire from Hong Kong once said, “even if you have a million dollars, most people only use the few bills on the top of the pile.” If that were true, what is the appeal of having a large pile of money (now you have to take care of and worry about)? Part of the appeal might be the peace of mind that even if no income were to come your way, you would be fine for quite some time. The other part might be the awareness that you have the luxury of using a few more bills to get things you would not be able to get with just a few bills, if you choose to. That sense of freedom sounds great.
At least, if I were really a millionaire, I would be financially comfortable to hire professional help in dealing with adult tasks that I have no inclination to do myself, such as filing taxes. For now, I will have to be content with my “free” furry “helper” 😀