Money Chapter 2: Linus’ Dream

“People have to live a life of chasing money all day long. Wealth is obviously not what we are really pursuing. Its function is just to exchange for other things.” (“The life of money-making is one undertaken under compulsion.” , and wealth is evidently not the good we are looking for; for it is merely useful for the sake of something else”) – Aristotle

Author: GUDORDI | 2014-11-15

In the history of philosophy, the book “Nigelmachean Ethics” is not without controversy. Exactly why it was named after this very special name is a mystery to a certain extent (Aristotle’s son’s name is Nicomachus, so many people believe that Aristotle may have dedicated this book to His son, or this book was edited by his son). On the other hand, it is still unclear whether the contents of this book are all written by Aristotle, or whether some of them come from notes recorded by his students. However, what is certain is that this book covers a wide range of topics. It is one of Aristotle’s most well-known works and is widely regarded as a classic in the history of Western ethics.

Money is just a medium of exchange

In the author’s opinion, from a certain perspective, the most important thing about Socrates, the father of philosophy, in the history of mankind and thought is that he raised a question – an extremely important question that has not been solved so far. The perfectly answered question – is this how humans should live? (How men should live?). Before Socrates, the Greeks viewed related issues from a more mythical and abstract perspective, but Socrates turned it into a practical issue. He finally chose to take poison and end his life in response to the government’s accusations against him, which shocked his student Plato and the Athenian society at that time. In any case, Plato later wrote the classic work The Apology based on the content of Socrates’s defense, and Plato’s other classic work The Republic (the author translated it as “The Republic”, but others translated it as “The Ideal”) Kingdom”), I believe it is also related to Socrates’ life and thoughts to a certain extent.

Aristotle was a student of Plato. From a certain perspective, his book “Niagomachean Ethics” can be regarded as a work following the tradition of Socrates and Plato. In the book Nicomachean Ethics , Aristotle discusses many issues, including deep philosophical issues such as what happiness is, what people should pursue, what is virtue, and what is vice. Whether Aristotle’s conclusion is original or not is not the point of this article. The author quoted his views on money at the beginning of this article simply because I think it is a concise and incisive dialectic. Many scholars believe that Aristotle’s strength lies in logical analysis. He is able to strip away many problems and analyze them logically and classify them into categories. I believe this is a fair assessment. Take the above sentences as an example. In just a few sentences, it is clearly pointed out that since money is just a medium of exchange, it cannot be what we are really pursuing.

what people really want

It is worth pointing out that the truly wealthy often understand this. John D. Rockefeller, the most prominent American plutocrat, once said: “As I got to know the rich better, I discovered that there was only one way to make their money truly worthwhile. Value: It’s about developing a taste for spending money in ways that will bring them lasting satisfaction.” (As I study wealthy men, I can see but one way in which they can secure.) a real equivalent for money spent and that is to cultivate a taste for giving where the money may produce an effect which will be a lasting gratification.) Regardless of whether Rockefeller actually put this insight into practice, I believe what he said above. This shows that he has his own understanding of wealth and its uses.

Hong Kong’s Li Ka-shing once told the media that although he makes money quickly, he also spends it quickly. He has spent more than 10 billion yuan on charity projects so far, and regards the foundation that is fully engaged in charity as his third son. . In public appearances and media interviews, he has said that he doesn’t care much about how much wealth he has, even if it’s enough for a mediocre meal. He found it very pleasant to stroll leisurely with a cone in a place where no one knew him. Some people may find the above statement unbelievable, and of course we have no way of verifying it. However, in the author’s opinion, even if these are all facts, they are not really surprising. Isn’t it? Once a person owns something, the “depreciation rate” that follows it can be astonishing. To ordinary people, wealth seems to be a very “precious” thing, but once their wealth accumulates to only one ten thousandth of that of “Brother Cheng”, they may begin to think that having money is not a big deal at all. In fact, it may be that only people with moderate to high intelligence have understood that being intoxicated with the accumulation and display of money is a stupid and even slightly sinful behavior. Since Mr. Li has extraordinary wisdom, it is not surprising that he has understood this truth early on. It is worth noting that many of Li Ka-shing’s philanthropic undertakings require a lot of investment in time and spirit in addition to monetary contributions. For example, Shantou University is an example, but Mr. Li invested time in this and energy, believed to have lasted for decades.

This article talks about the above words and deeds to illustrate that the truly rich people’s understanding of the nature and function of money is likely to be far more complicated than ordinary people imagine. As Aristotle pointed out, money is only a medium of exchange. Simply accumulating money cannot be what human beings really pursue. However, how to spend money meaningfully can also make many rich people. man’s pursuit. In any case, in 2006, Buffett, one of the world’s richest men, announced that he would gradually donate most of his wealth to the charitable foundation founded and managed by the Gateses. Only those who have the ability to develop philanthropic undertakings can maximize the philanthropic benefits of wealth. In terms of ability in this area, he believes that no one is better than the Gateses.

Yes, charity should also be considered a cause. The fact is that in this world, there are indeed people who are willing to contribute money and efforts to charity, and their prevalence may be higher than most people imagine. I remember that many years ago, the author had a discussion with an English-Italian friend about some issues related to human civilization. This friend’s primary, secondary and primary school education were spent in ancient schools in Europe. Then he went to Cambridge to study at university and worked in museums, libraries and churches in Europe. During the discussion, my friend mentioned that the biggest surprise for him was that these institutions had a lot of materials and collections, all of which were donated by citizens. He said he was surprised by the volume and prevalence, especially since many of the donations were given under anonymous names. Friends believe that these experiences made him realize that the number and prevalence of people who have a slight concern for future generations and do not care much about interests and reputation may be far higher than what most people think.

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