Happy Monday!
Quick week recap
Arsenal move five points clear at the top of the English Premier League table
Crypto giant FTX collapses into bankruptcy
Meta to cut 11,000 staff
Comedian Chris Rock is to host Netflix's first ever live streamed show, as the company begins to experiment with screening live events.
Kevin Conroy, best known for voicing Batman, dies aged 66.
The real wealth
This article by Sunny Bindra highlights our narrow definition of wealth.
📖Sunny Bindra is one of my favourite writers, and I have been reading his work for a long time. His articles appear in a popular newspaper in Kenya.
The rat race consumes many. There is a fevered desire to have more: more money, more belongings, more status, more power. We plunge into this race without thinking, because so many around us seem to be running ahead of us. We fear getting left behind, being shunned, being disrespected. And so we run and run, all racing to be…what?
“We think there are some essential truths at play. We think more money is always better than less money, so any opportunity to make more should be grabbed without hesitation. We think a bigger house is better than a small house, and owning many houses is even better. We think pricey belongings bestow prestige on their owner, so we must make every attempt to display them to others.”
💰He argues that our definition of wealth is material and measurable and that it focuses only on purchasing power, belongings and baubles, acres of land, net worth. By doing so, we neglect the most important forms of wealth.
⚕️The first one is health.
“Without health, we have nothing. We cannot participate, we cannot run any race, we cannot contribute. Good health does, of course, depend on many variables, not all of which are in our control. Our genes play a crucial role, as does our habitat, our age, and even sheer randomness. But how many of us actually do the things that are in our control—moderation, exercise, balance—to improve our chances of having good health?”
💌The second form of real wealth is healthy relationships.
“Having people who have your back, and who in turn matter to you, is a proven way to have a more fulfilling life. This wealth comes from us—we usually get the relationships we deserve. Those who are kind often get kindness back; those who radiate outwards can find warmth and light reflecting back on them. We don’t need many such relationships in order to be rich, but we do need them to be genuine and non-transactional. We also need to extend good relationships beyond kith and kin. How many of us invest in proper relationships—with loved ones, yes, but also with friends, colleagues, companions?”
⛹️♂️The third one is independence.
“It is hugely empowering to be free to make one’s own decisions, to chart one’s own path, to not be beholden to others. Feeling trapped in the whims and demands of others is a source of much unhappiness. Much as we need connections, we need those connections to be free of imposition and dominance. This freedom requires a certain amount of financial wealth, yes—but it also requires the mental strength to resist the chains of others.”
⌚The fourth form of real wealth is time.
“Time is our scarcest asset, and the most limited. We are only given so much; and we know not how much. How do we use this gift, this boon of time on earth? Do we squander it on puerile races, petty squabbles, egotistical demands? Or do we reserve valuable time for reflection, for whimsy, for learning?”
Those who are trapped in the contest to have more and more often lead the least-balanced lives. Their health suffers as they eschew rest and embrace stress. They reduce their lives to a series of transactions, and so neglect the key people who might offer them succour, advice, and concern. Far from using wealth to be independent, they enter the prisons of new jailers: banks, investors, competitors, social circles. And time? That’s all swallowed up in the neurotic race to have more. All hours are devoted to accumulation.
🤔Most of the things highlighted by Sunny Bindra are under our control, and we should strive to make the most of them. But what about those that we can’t control? I find the serenity prayer soothing.
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.
💡Quote of the week
Extroverts are the people who will add life to your dinner party and laugh generously at your jokes. They tend to be assertive, dominant, and in great need of company. Extroverts think out loud and on their feet; they prefer talking to listening, rarely find themselves at a loss for words, and occasionally blurt out things they never meant to say. They’re comfortable with conflict, but not with solitude. Introverts, in contrast, may have strong social skills and enjoy parties and business meetings, but after a while wish they were home in their pajamas. They prefer to devote their social energies to close friends, colleagues, and family. They listen more than they talk, think before they speak, and often feel as if they express themselves better in writing than in conversation. They tend to dislike conflict. Many have a horror of small talk, but enjoy deep discussions. Nor are introverts necessarily shy. Shyness is the fear of social disapproval or humiliation, while introversion is a preference for environments that are not overstimulating.
From “Quiet” by Susan Cain
That is it for today.
✨Send anything interesting you come across this week my way! I enjoy discovering new things to read through my newsletter subscribers.
Have a great week,
Dennis