After wealth: Carry water, Chop wood
In a class we were talking about making a lot of money, the billionaire or close to kind of money. Note: no one in the class was a billionaire. I was saying that there are quite a few old billionaires who still do long days at the office and one student commented that it is because of greed, they just never have enough money.
I don't think that is necessarily true. I think they enjoy it. It may not even be the collection of money as to do something into one's 80's one would likely need to really love what they do. The process and feel of it, not just the increase in the results. Especially when one already has so much that they can never spend it all. Most of these people aren't compulsive collectors from what I have seen and read from them.
I know and work with several in the class of very rich but not 'close to billionaire' rich. These people also are not collectors of money but they do tend to really enjoy what they do. But, from the outside looking in it can definitely look like these people are ultimately greedy. I mean, when is enough enough?
Now, my student has a family forest, this means that he cuts his own firewood for the winter instead of buying it. I mentioned that if he really loved the act of chopping wood, and spent his days doing what he loved, the split wood pile would just keep increasing and there would be no way he could or would need to burn it all.
In this case, doing what he loved would create a byproduct of chopped firewood. of course eventually, this may lead to a lack of trees to chop however, in Finland, they grow more than they cut down.
For many very rich people that seem to keep working when they have no need to, the situation could be similar where they aren't working to have more. Nor are they scared of losing it all as they likely back their personal money management skills. Instead, they may just love working at what they do and for them, the byproduct is money or success.
This ties into the do what you love idea where often, what you are passionate about can require a huge amount of time and energy but, one is willing to invest themselves because they feel passionately about it. And because of this, it doesn't feel like 'real work'.
People generally associate work as a negative because most people's experience is working for others and doing jobs they don't want to do for a goal that isn't theirs. For these billionaires however, once they are off and running, they can increasingly pick and choose their tasks and set ever larger goals to reach. Why wouldn't they continue on as long as they could?
There are many reasons to do something but when we observe and judge the actions of others, it is very hard to be able to view their motive. What we end up doing is making a judgement based upon who we are and why we would do it and because in the case of Billionaires, we are unlikely ever to get the chance to sit and talk with them one on one to clarify our beliefs. This means our view of them is gossip from the media and other people's opinions and through this we think we know them.
I am unlikely to ever be a Billionaire but, if I did become one doing what I loved, I would work until I died. But that is my plan even if I die penniless.
The title of this post is part of a Zen proverb I read as a kid in a book my mother had.
Before enlightenment
Carry water, Chop wood
After enlightenment
Carry water, Chop wood
What it means is that nothing changes after becoming enlightened as after enlightenment, life goes on just as before. And if one's tasks do not change after becoming enlightened, why should one's tasks after becoming rich?
Taraz
[ a Steem original ]
Interesting your analysis and reflections in all the senses. But I would give it a personal connotation based on three questions:
1.- How much can it affect me that after wearing shoes, then I must walk barefoot (wealth > poverty)?
2.- Is it worth being a slave all your life until death, even if you are a millionaire?
3.- After achieving goals of success and being a millionaire, the best thing would not be to relax a little and enjoy money and life with happiness and health?
I believe that without being extremists, we must evaluate and balance 5 items after wealth: greed / slavery / health / happiness / life.
Working at what you love doing, is likely the greatest freedom one can ever know.
For many, nothing does change. They know what they have achieved and it is not necessary to inform others to increase the personal satisfaction.
I see it much like an artist, why stop painting?
Exactly. The same as someone who has struggled to achieve need not announce to the world that they have achieved, but instead continue on course,carrying and chopping.
Lamborghini not needed.
The Lamborghini idea makes me laugh a little, it is like the goals of person who didn't get enough matchbox cars as a child. To each their own though.
Very true. The dealership in Atlanta, GA,has a steady stream of new customers who look too young to be driving anything. Easy come, easily depreciated away.
I read "The Millionaire Nextdoor" years ago and the one thing I remembered most was do what you love and the money will come.
The worst case scenario is that you live a life doing what you love. Not too bad is it?
People tend to put money in its own category.
Money is a resource same as lumber, art, oil, diamonds or even an individual. When we go out and work we are the resource (our labor) and valued according to what one has to offer.
Diamonds we worthless until they were tied to show ones love. The rich learned at an early age that the accumulation of resources is wealth.
People are taught that their labor is valued and never accumulate any resource other than that
For me, money is a tool that allows me to work at other things, no one can make too much money but, someone can have too much money. What is the point of having billions if they aren't being utilized?
Its a waist just like some accounts here. but it does take from others to utilize like the pool. I have noticed where one is selling off through other accounts. Maybe that's a good thing
Exactly ! - What logical reason would you have to stop?
(To start doing something you didn't enjoy doing as much ?...mmmm)
That's why people see successful, rich, people and are jealous.
Sure the money is great - but an envy of happiness when you don't have it yourself, may be an underlying reason....
You are right there. I think that many people find excuses to cover their jealousy and the laziest way to make one feel better, is to cut another down.
I remember Eckhart Tolle also mentioning the Zen proverb about Chopping wood and carrying water. What a more simple path to enlightenment than this one can be?
Be present in whatever...
Being present means to only do what you do and what comes from that is another moment.
Being present is beyond moments, in my opinion, as Zen is beyond concepts.
I know a few rich people and they are among the hardest workers I know. They are trustworthy and they have never let me down. Money is not the overall riding thing that drives them but they really enjoy doing the deals and it makes them happy. Money hasn't changed them.
There is often an intensity in what they do that is missing in others. Dedication and commitment to what one enjoys is about the only way to make it what one can live off.
I'm pretty sure this is similar to what you talked about the other day. The whole "I can't imagine" thing. People with poor imaginations.
I think their answers say a lot more about them than the rich. Similarly to how people in various countries pass laws in regards to the rich. They can only see how they would be if they had a lot of money. Likely they can't even realistically see that. Truth is that if they got rich, most of them would spend it all away on things they don't need and then have to go back to work. But not everyone who is rich is like that. There are quite a few that are "eccentric" by normal standards, in that they go off every day to work, and end up just amassing more and more money. There are even a few homeless millionaires if you'd believe it. It's not that they are greedy. Likely, as far as personal spending, they could want for nothing. But they all have reasons they do what they do.
I personally could see a few billion not being enough, and I don't even want for a big house or a fancy car. I'd more want it for business reasons.
These people have spent their entire lives working for money, only having just barely enough to get some things they want, and maybe stash some away. Of course, it would be hard for them to imagine someone that works when they don't need the money or even needing more than a few million or billion.
Of course, when you're a billionaire, you have a whole new level of things you can buy. You can do stuff like start your own charities, or buy islands, or build buildings.
It isn't enough for me to do what I want to do in this world however, it would give me a start. Of course, I can work at those things at any level but to make the greatest difference, high resources are needed. How many people would have someone like Bill Gates been able to help if he didn't have the resources he did? How many if instead of building an empire first, he donated his life to charity fro the start. I am not saying it should be this way though but my point is, it doesn't necessarily mean greed or addiction.
The thing with work, as with most things, is your stance towards it.
If you work because you want to work, you will do so with an entirely different attitude. If you do something you actually enjoy doing, even more.
If you get to the point where you take pride in what you are doing, all the better.
Most people don't work hard enough to find out what they enjoy.
They do work hard when it comes to complaining though.
This is just so perfect. The quotes fits in. Sometimes when I examine the life of Billionaires like Bill Gates for example, I do think of things like, why are they still working? They just love what they do. The chop wood before and after perfectly explains it. Despite the enlightenment, they're the same.
Brilliant post @tarazkp