On Being Rich and a Perfect World

I want to write more personal essays when I travel so that I don’t get bored writing purely travel logs. This is my first one in a while…

Today, I watched an YouTube interview video about a Chinese woman who is a billionaire. It made me wonder what would I do if I was a billionaire, or even just a millionaire.

I don’t think I would live too differently from what I’m doing now. For example, I still want to live with someone because living alone makes me lonely, and it will make me bored and depressed.

When traveling, I might spend more money. I probably still want to stay in some hostels so I can meet new people and get new ideas. If I stay in a place longer I’ll rent an apartment or an Airbnb.

I would still eat the same food that I’ve been eating. When I travel, I’ll still visit a mix of grocery stores and restaurants so that I don’t get bored eating the same things.

Lastly, if I travel long distances in an airplane I will buy the first class ticket so I can have a better sleep. This is something I haven’t done yet.

Other than these things, I don’t think there will be much difference in how I live or what I consume.

In fact, most of my money will go to people in need. I think it’s fun to give money away. That’s why I like Kiva.org so much. Kiva.org is a micro-loan website and I get to choose who I want to loan my money to. My investments help small business owners in foreign countries.

Maybe this is also why I will unlikely be a millionaire or a billionaire. I always said that if I had a million dollars then I’m too rich, need to give my money away.

This makes me wonder what do rich people do with their money. I suppose most of them will pass down their wealth to their children, which I think is a waste. If you have children and they failed at accumulating their own wealth and happiness then you have failed in their upbringing. A great parent should teach their children the necessary skills that so they can forge their own paths in life. I would not pass down my wealth to my children, if I had any that is.

Perhaps I just don’t have the desire to accumulate money, which fundamentally is something people made up and agreed to long before I was born. Having enough money is important in a sustainable lifestyle and that lifestyle is different for everyone. I just prefer a more monkish life. Thus, my expenses are relatively low compared to the average American.

Another thing I find strange about myself is that I don’t like working for the Man because the system is rigged against the common man. For example, the owners of corporations pay less in taxes than the workers. And for a company to make a profit, it has to pay the workers less than what they actually deserve, unless the company is some kind of a co-op. Strangely, employees of nonprofit organizations get paid even less despite that fact that many nonprofit companies do more good to the world than private corporations. I find the entire working world is unfair and I want to get far away from that.

This makes me think about the perfect world that I want to live in.

First, there would be free healthcare for all. Money is made up and it’s printed out of thin air. Why not use that money to cover the healthcare of everybody so no one can be in debt because of medical bills. I bet there will be healthier people and they can use their financial resources to acquire degrees and skills for work, or whatever they choose to do.

Second, there will be a basic income for everyone so no one is living in poverty. The world has enough money to bring up anyone who is living below the poverty line, but for some reason the governments, at least the US government, refuse to tax the rich when they haven’t paid their fair share for far too long.

Third, technology should help humans live better. I’m actually not a fan of sending humans to Mars in the near future because there are so many people on Earth who need help. Let’s focus on reducing human suffering first with better technology. AI should help us become better, healthier humans by replacing work that people don’t want to do. Consequently, people should work fewer hours and enjoy more quality time with others. Perhaps we’ll live better lives and have less conflicts with each other.

We can do all of the above in a short amount of time. In my second half of life, I should focus on these issues and be an advocate for free healthcare, universal basic income, taxation on the rich, and proper technology usage.

But the thing is I don’t know how I would accomplish any of these goals by myself. I’m more of a person who wants to live in the mountains than be involved in politics. I guess I’ll have to see what the future will bring for me and I hope I can get more ideas from traveling.

My Europe trip will start in four days. I’m excited for it and made most of my preparations already. I don’t really know what to do for the next few days so I’ve been feeling a bit bored. All I have to say is look out for my next blog post, it will be from Venice, Italy.