Ever thought .. "What if money meant nothing?" "What would you choose to do?". It is an easy question but the answer is difficult. It is difficult because it will take some exercise for your brain to figure it out.
At first it seems like an absurd question.. just the way ''assumptions" seem in economic theories. What if there was no transportation costs? What if all the goods were homogeneous? What if all the companies were of the same size? Similarly, what if money did not really matter? To me it meant forgetting everything Economics taught me for sometime. Everything revolves around money, doesn't it? All the choices I make, the work I do? Pretty much! Wait, but economics also taught me about 'opportunity cost'. If applied in the context of this blog it could mean choosing between something I can make money from and choosing something that can make me happy with some possibility of making a living. If it really was a choice, I would choose the latter.
So, if money did not really matter - would I quit my job? Hell yeah, I would! Not because I hate my job but because I don't love it. Although, I love the cause I work for. The cause is supposed to be for uplifting lives of the underprivileged children and women. This is a dream come true. But I don't feel fully satisfied with my job because I don't directly contribute to that goal. I am several levels and processes away from them. I know I can do better. I generally perform better when I am intellectually as well as emotionally involved with my work.
It is still hard to imagine that money does not get me anything. But, having said that, if money does not really mean a thing.. all the things I thought earlier were as expensive are not unaffordable anymore. I will first choose to travel.. I hope I find an interesting travel partner (just the way they show in movies or even better) and head to the Andamans. I would go snorkeling and deep sea-diving. I don't find myself settled anywhere.. unless I find something that compelling. So, I keep moving. Out of all the activities I do, I enjoy dancing the most. I would want to learn dancing. The style I would choose is contemporary. It is versatile and has so much freedom. I feel it has the capacity to express any emotion just the way Sarangi does as a musical instrument. I want to push myself to its extreme to see how much it can take. I would always want to be a learner but soon enough I would want to start teaching. I would love to push people and make them see what they are capable of. I would teach so that I can always learn. So, basically travel and dance.
Besides, I would also try my hand at other things that fascinate me.. like painting, music, films. At some point I really want to make movies.. specially for people who cannot read and write. I feel this is the quickest way to bridge the gap. It's an empowering tool to educate people about health related issues, social and cultural stigmas, etc. After all, they are more concerned about what happens in bollywood than what happens in politics (I think Mr. Modi might be an exception).
If money did not matter I would give people whatever they need (I know I sound like a pseudo politician but I really would). I would ask people what do they really want to do? What makes them happy? When they tell me their choices - I hope I can tell them that money really means nothing.
At first it seems like an absurd question.. just the way ''assumptions" seem in economic theories. What if there was no transportation costs? What if all the goods were homogeneous? What if all the companies were of the same size? Similarly, what if money did not really matter? To me it meant forgetting everything Economics taught me for sometime. Everything revolves around money, doesn't it? All the choices I make, the work I do? Pretty much! Wait, but economics also taught me about 'opportunity cost'. If applied in the context of this blog it could mean choosing between something I can make money from and choosing something that can make me happy with some possibility of making a living. If it really was a choice, I would choose the latter.
So, if money did not really matter - would I quit my job? Hell yeah, I would! Not because I hate my job but because I don't love it. Although, I love the cause I work for. The cause is supposed to be for uplifting lives of the underprivileged children and women. This is a dream come true. But I don't feel fully satisfied with my job because I don't directly contribute to that goal. I am several levels and processes away from them. I know I can do better. I generally perform better when I am intellectually as well as emotionally involved with my work.
It is still hard to imagine that money does not get me anything. But, having said that, if money does not really mean a thing.. all the things I thought earlier were as expensive are not unaffordable anymore. I will first choose to travel.. I hope I find an interesting travel partner (just the way they show in movies or even better) and head to the Andamans. I would go snorkeling and deep sea-diving. I don't find myself settled anywhere.. unless I find something that compelling. So, I keep moving. Out of all the activities I do, I enjoy dancing the most. I would want to learn dancing. The style I would choose is contemporary. It is versatile and has so much freedom. I feel it has the capacity to express any emotion just the way Sarangi does as a musical instrument. I want to push myself to its extreme to see how much it can take. I would always want to be a learner but soon enough I would want to start teaching. I would love to push people and make them see what they are capable of. I would teach so that I can always learn. So, basically travel and dance.
Besides, I would also try my hand at other things that fascinate me.. like painting, music, films. At some point I really want to make movies.. specially for people who cannot read and write. I feel this is the quickest way to bridge the gap. It's an empowering tool to educate people about health related issues, social and cultural stigmas, etc. After all, they are more concerned about what happens in bollywood than what happens in politics (I think Mr. Modi might be an exception).
If money did not matter I would give people whatever they need (I know I sound like a pseudo politician but I really would). I would ask people what do they really want to do? What makes them happy? When they tell me their choices - I hope I can tell them that money really means nothing.
