On Tai Lopez: My Philosophical Reflection of California
I went to visit a friend who was in California, specifically Berkeley, in February, 2018.
We traveled around, drank some alcohol, talked about our studies, partied, and embarked on some massive road trips.
2 years have passed since I’ve been in California but I thought the trip would be worth revisiting. There are many things I’d like to look back on and appreciate.
I recently watched H3H3 conduct an interview inside Tai Lopez' house. It was interesting for a number of reasons.
First of all, H3H3 addressed America’s obsession with wealth and prosperity (the American dream). Klein asked Tai Lopez, whether he thought that people in the States obsessed over wealth as a tour bus passed by his neighborhood in Beverly Hills.
Tai responded that there is an immense market for simply cruising around looking at these expensive houses with luxurious cars parked outside.
I remember cruising along similar streets and wondering why people have become so focused on things that can not ultimately satisfy, such as massive wealth.
I have never before been happier in my life as I am now. And I really do not have much wealth at the moment. I make money in the summer. I pay for my education, travel (currently in Europe, as of writing) and then I eat out quite a bit. That is where my money goes.
But I still feel gratitude for everything that I can do in this life.
Research has been conducted suggesting that an annual income of 100,000 dollars is where your appreciation for wealth starts to sharply decline. The marginal utility of an extra 100k is lower and lower as you get to the millions and then, once more, you appreciate the millions. But then, once again, the millions become standardized, for obvious reasons.
The human condition does not allow for happiness, it seems. Hence, it would be wise to start appreciating even the small things in life.
Similarly Tai Lopez says that the more money you have the more problems you pile up.
I have nothing close to the amount of wealth that Lopez does. But, I don’t even want to.
The more money I’ve had, the more unnecessary things I’ve bought. I currently have a lot of musical instruments that I’ll have to get rid of when I move (because I definitely will be moving to a bigger city like Montreal or Vancouver).
That is a problem I should have anticipated. If I would have considered the future and moving complications, I’d save at least $2,000 on musical instruments. A minimalist lifestyle has been gaining popularity with fantastic writers such as Jennifer Taylor Chan who have been featured on the Huffington Post.
Another good argument for wanting less in life and giving more is one proposed by the Effective Altruist movement.
They do quite a bit of good. Some companies, such as Write the World Notebooks, sell notebooks from which all the proceeds go to these effective charities that are eradicating preventable diseases at a time when they should no longer be on our minds whatsoever, let alone in our bodies.
There is a lot that needs our attention. The accumulation of wealth for the sake of it is definitely not one of them.
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I write to keep you thinking and to keep me thankful and reflective. Cheers and until next time,
keep reflecting.
