This is a piece to remind myself about the meaning of money. This reminder is important as it provides the big picture to resist the useless emotion of jeolasy (which is the biggest enermy to risk management - i'll write a piece on this topic separately).
I have been reading news on Cheng Yu Tung, third richest man in HK and 57th or so in the Forbe's world richest list. He passed away at 91 after 4 years of coma post his stroke. Another piece of news is regarding Joseph Lau, who is a shrewd stock market operator, but also a fugitive who has been reported to be suffering from kidney failure which requires dialysis 4 times a week. This two men's listed entities probably woudn't have made you rich had one invested in them even from a long term perspective.
You can have all the money in the world, and yet, the money is used to prolong a low-quality life. Why would Cheng's family allow him to suffer an extra 4 years of coma? (put me in for NFR/DNR if it ever happens to me pls) And if I was Joseph Lau, i would probably be guessing the incentive of the people around me. The meaning of money for these tycoons is pretty useless at their stage.
What is wealth? Is wealth money? Or something else? I reckon wealth is a function of fulfilment, relationships, knowledge and money. Money in this equation is a mean to facilitate knowledge gathering and fulfilment.
Money is a subset of wealth, and the purpose of money is a tool, a tool to facilitate learning. To make learning more interesting. And the learning will in turn make one a better human being. In my case, to be a better father, and to learn to understand myself better and to remove the biases wired in my character. Money accumulation, if done properly, is a 修練 (training for logical thinking, rationality, discipline and self realisation).
Reference: Maslow's Hierarchy, HKEJ article
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