Sometimes we
read news about a rich guy buying a luxury car. Most of us will read such news
with disgust. “What the hell are those rich guys doing? They are burning money,
Jesus!” It is a very normal and reasonable reaction. However, how many of us
have never dreamed of walking out of a Limo in front of our friends? Whenever I
and my friends waited for a belated member in a hanging out, we sometimes said
to ourselves that it would be crazy if that member showed up in this car, or
that car, or the car coming. When we trade in stock market, the first thing we
try to do is to buy at the bottom and sell at the top, though it is a very
difficult and risky thing to do [and traders know that too]. Here comes the
question: we all know that most of us are risk-averse, why do they still try to
do such a crazy thing? Because we want to show people that we are better and
smarter than others. Deep down inside us is a desire to be different and more
special than other ones. It is called natural selection. A normal male will
stand low chance of getting a mate. But what should we do if we are not so
special? If we have only a normal IQ, a normal personality, or a not so good
sense of humor, why don’t we try some kind of materialism? I used to laugh at
and criticize those rich people who, in my opinion, did not know how to spend
money. Now, I want to be one of them. And if you have never dreamed of being
rich, of having a car, of living in a very big house with swimming pool or
eating delicious food, then congratulation, you are more moral than me. Because
I want that someday the world will know my name, no matter good or bad
reputation.
What is the
difference between a guitarist and a banker? A man who only knows how to play the
guitar and works 4 hours a day is called a “hero”, a “rock star”, for chasing
and living his dream while a man who knows almost everything about the society
[sometimes he is able to play the guitar too] and work 8 hours a day is called
a “boring man”, sometimes a “nerd”. It is not because the banker’s work is
boring that we have the right to think that he is not living his dream. Some
wants to play guitar. Some wants to play football. And some wants to play with
money. The difference between a guitarist and a banker is that the banker’s
dream is not so obvious and not so acknowledged by people. People love the idea
that a guitarist needs potential and has to practice very much. It is true.
However, who does not? Who does not have to work hard to earn money? Who does
not have to risk? I have to admit that I am going to be a banker [if I am lucky
enough]. Ironically, the wallpaper in my cell phone is the picture of a famous
girl band or sometimes a rock band, not an economist or a banker, though I know
they both deserve respect equally.
People hate
violence. There is no doubt about it. We hate people who cause war, make fight
or murder. We hear about some guys fighting in the street and think that those
guys both deserve a punishment. My father always told me to stay calm and avoid
being involved in trouble, even if I knew I could win the fight [a very low
chance, but existing]. But Daddy, sometimes somebody does not let me do that. I
now feel sympathetic for those who fight and sometimes kill. In some occasions,
I just had to think that if there had been a knife or a gun in my reach, the
guy standing before me must have been wounded. And FYI, if I was imprisoned
because of doing that, it was totally worth it. Somebody has the potential to
drive people mad. I am stupid, and I do not give a damn about people like me
out there because we are all stupid. But selfish people do deserve some kind of
treatment, even though illegally. “Mama, I just killed a man”
kz
