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The Fallacy of Money As A Means

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Re: The Fallacy of Money As A Means

#2
This article is on point. Money is a flow, it comes and goes, and the tighter you grip to it, the harder it is to gather. The hardest thing to do is make up your own mind, without worrying about what other people think of you.

Re: The Fallacy of Money As A Means

#3
Financial independence. Starting a profitable company is an interesting challenge. Not having to worry about money. Providing value to the world. Enjoying the intellectually stimulating challenge of programming. Working remotely and on a self defined schedule. Having the reach associated with web business (My customers literally come from all over the world). Being a self made man. Being able to call the shots for my own company and as a result sink or swim.

There's a million reasons why I want to start a web company. And I don't think I'm lying to myself about any of them. If it was all about money I would be working on perfecting my pitch and just focus on getting an investment.

Re: The Fallacy of Money As A Means

#4
This is a generally short-sighted article, that looks inward but not at the bigger picture. I want to make a lot of money because I want to start a family, and I want them to have the best life and the best opportunities available. Not to be spoiled, but simply to have a good life. And that's just the start.

I want to make money so I can help people. To be able to invest in things which might cure diseases, solve hunger, produce cleaner cheaper energy. Things which might have an opportunity to drive humanity forward.

I want to make money so that I can change the world. Not in the superficial way that people think you mean when you say that, but in real ways; in ways that create true value for humanity. Things that might drive us closer to a star-trek-esque free-energy economy.

This is what people don't understand about money. Some people want it because it has the power to do a lot of things. It is a measure of value, and you can use that value to create more value. It might spiral so high that you don't even know what to do with it anymore; and that's okay, because all it means is that you've produced value and created something real. If I have billions of dollars when I die, I won't care if I lose it. The real reward was the creation of which it was an accidental result.

Travel? Nice things? Acceptance? Popularity? You think that's why people want money? Child's play, all of them.

I noticed you have this on your first list: "create the biggest impact possible?"

But you never responded to it. It's because it's the real reason. Money is a means to create the biggest impact possible. It is a means to create. Full stop.

Re: The Fallacy of Money As A Means

#5
post #4

This is a generally short-sighted article, that looks inward but not at the bigger picture. I want to make a lot of money because I want to start a family, and I want them to have the best life and the best opportunities available. Not to be spoiled, but simply to have a good life. And that's just the start. I want to make money so I can help people. To be able to invest in things which might cure diseases, solve hun…

> You think that's why people want money? Child's play, all of them.

Have you seriously never met these people who think this? Hell, I've been in those shoes.

Re: The Fallacy of Money As A Means

#7
post #4

This is a generally short-sighted article, that looks inward but not at the bigger picture. I want to make a lot of money because I want to start a family, and I want them to have the best life and the best opportunities available. Not to be spoiled, but simply to have a good life. And that's just the start. I want to make money so I can help people. To be able to invest in things which might cure diseases, solve hun…

> You think that's why people want money? Child's play, all of them. Have you seriously never met these people who think this? Hell, I've been in those shoes.

Right: they're children.

*Edit: Okay, sorry, "children" is a little harsh. You get what I mean. Of course we all want financial independence, security, and the means to not have to worry about where we eat for dinner every night. Great.

You can have that, and do more also. Look at pg—in addition to I'm certain a comfortable life, he also invests in all of you and helps create things of value.

Look at what Elon Musk is doing: SpaceX, Tesla, SolarCity—they're all a means to advance civilization in leaps and bounds. Fucking awesome. Will he make a lot of money in the process? Probably, if he's successful at it. But I guarantee you that's not why he's doing it (incidentally I think that's a huge reason he might be successful, also).

If you're not doing big things like that, you can. Why not? You need a bankroll to do big things. You don't get there by vilifying money and just wanting small things for yourself—even deep things like happiness or self-respect or spirituality. I feel that is a somewhat childish self-centered idea. You're saying "what can money do for me?" The answer in this article is "You don't need money to get those things you want for yourself." Well, buster, it's not for me: it's for the world, it's for advancement, it's for creation. Money gives me no great desire in itself, but the advancement of society certainly does, and it clearly does for others too, and that's a good thing.

Re: The Fallacy of Money As A Means

#8
post #4

This is a generally short-sighted article, that looks inward but not at the bigger picture. I want to make a lot of money because I want to start a family, and I want them to have the best life and the best opportunities available. Not to be spoiled, but simply to have a good life. And that's just the start. I want to make money so I can help people. To be able to invest in things which might cure diseases, solve hun…

Fact: If you think that everyone who wants money wants it in order to "create the biggest impact possible," you are either incorrect or have an unusual definition of "biggest impact possible."

Opinion: It's almost nice and idealist for you to think this, but you ruined it by being generally sour (on my interpretation).

Re: The Fallacy of Money As A Means

#9
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You think that's why people want money? Child's play, all of them. Have you seriously never met these people who think this? Hell, I've been in those shoes.

Right: they're children. *Edit: Okay, sorry, "children" is a little harsh. You get what I mean. Of course we all want financial independence, security, and the means to not have to worry about where we eat for dinner every night. Great. You can have that, and do more also. Look at pg—in addition to I'm certain a comfortable life, he also invests in all of you and helps create things of value. Look at what Elon Musk i…

Calling people children because they want different things out of life than you is rather, well, immature.

Re: The Fallacy of Money As A Means

#10
post #4

This is a generally short-sighted article, that looks inward but not at the bigger picture. I want to make a lot of money because I want to start a family, and I want them to have the best life and the best opportunities available. Not to be spoiled, but simply to have a good life. And that's just the start. I want to make money so I can help people. To be able to invest in things which might cure diseases, solve hun…

From the article: If people without families to support are brutally honest with themselves

So you are not the audience.

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