I’ve been thinking about the nature of our existence in relation to the need for money. If you don’t need money or are the type who would go ‘money isn’t everything’  – kindly leave now. Save yourself the time – really.

For those who’d prefer to read on you do so at your own risk.

Right – in an average ‘Western’ society people do need money – and that is where I start from. So what do people do to ‘get money’. And by money I mean currency that is legal tender – so I’m not talking about counterfeit money.

Well there are a number of things one can do (and this is not meant to be a complete list):

1. Get a job – and get paid.
2. Sell something – things, objects or services of various kinds.
3. Steal some money.
4. Steal something and sell it on illegally.
5. Make claims for various State  or other benefits.
6. Go begging.

On the way to doing any of the above, I think it’s fair to say that most people have to prepare to gain some expertise in any of the above, else ‘takings’ (not necessarily earnings) cannot be sustained or sustainable. So if you’re a thief and you don’t do the job properly imprisonment is one possibility that will put a check on your activities. Yes – even successful beggars need to have a skill at begging. BTW – this list is not to imply that I suggest that people engage in illegal activity to make a living.

If you wanna be a doctor, teacher, lawyer, real estate agent – then you gotta do some training. The length of training depends on the intricacy of the tasks you will undertake and the risks one will have to take. So for doctors very long and careful training will be needed. A medical student starting off on a career in medicine, will be expected to amass debts of several thousand pounds in the first 4 years of training. Some have estimated this to be well over £30,000. But the figure is not terribly important in relation to the heading of this post.

The point is that people who need to earn need to expend effort, time and cost in the early phases of their ‘careers’, in order to climb to the top, and then make back sufficient money to pay of debts incurred in getting there and to live comfortably.

Would it be fair and reasonable to ask a medical student or law student in the first or second years, “How much money have you made?” It’s a dumb-ass question because clearly they are spending lots of money gaining expertise – and they could not be autonomous in a job to earn any money. Similarly if you open a new shop on the High Street of some town, it would be stupid to ask, “How much money have you made?” – after 3 – 4 months. [Why? Chrysst!! Look – I give up. Google is your friend – go away!!!]

I’m getting there.. slowly as usual. However, if you’re seen to be involved in something like Forex trading, people will ask a dumb-ass questions such as, “And how much have you made?”. The moment the raw focus is on making money, well well – you gotta start making money instantly is the approach taken by idiots. And – if you’re losing money, well – ‘it’s all a hoax – I told you so – and  you might as well give up before you lose everything’. Look – even professional gamblers (card counters for example) need to work hard at it for quite some time, to perfect the skill.

So – over the next year – I’ll be facing loads of dumb-ass questions from people about ‘How much money I’ve made?’ I’m not sure how to cope with the latter sort of question. Perhaps I should say, I’m losing £1000/day – just to take the mick, just to see that look on people’s faces. Of course if I said, I’m making tax-free £1000/day, you know what the answer is likely to be i.e. “Oh that’s great.. Good on you!” What’s the problem with that answer? After all they’ve wished you well? Thankfully I wasn’t born yesterday. Such answers are usually hypocritical. And what’s a non-hypocritical answer? Probably, “Wow… can you show me how to do same?”

But most – I mean 99% of people will never ask that, because if somebody is making £1000/day tax-free on Forex trading – the whole world of unconscious assumptions descends on them. Eh – ‘What do you mean?’ Stuff like:

1. I don’t have loads of money.
2. I don’t want to lose my money.
3. I’m not bright.
4. I don’t want to be a professional gambler.
5. I like my money in my pocket where I can feel it – thank you very much.
6. I don’t have time.
7. I’m ill – I think I feel a headache coming on.
8. And I forgot to say, ‘Money isn’t everything’!!

So – the next year is going to be very interesting and painful. I mean I just can’t  – or am not supposed to insult or confront people on their stupidity – lest I be arrested and charged with some ‘public order offence’!! This is Eng-uh-land, you know!!  And since ‘money isn’t everything’, it shouldn’t hurt for you to give me some of your money – as I’m certainly not asking for ‘everything’. Adios for now – back to losing money!!!