There Exists A Free Lunch, But...

The topic of money, finances and economics is a challenging topic to discuss.

Every person has a different view on life.

When considering money and how to use this invented tool, attitudes can change when this is the subject of discussion.

I know my demeanor changes when discussing money, for past personal reasons.

I desire not to repeat my past failures.

I also desire not to teach / forward / encourage failures onto others... but some must learn the hard way.

I've learned many lessons the hard way.

The tool of money has become something more than the tool of barter than it actually is.

For some, money is their god... though they may not perceive or acknowledge such a concept.

For others, money is a 'means to an end'... but is that end ever realized?

I was asked recently what the purpose of life was if people are free to commit evil... with this evil spills over onto the lives of the innocent.

Without darkness, can we identify and appreciate light?

When all is said and done, and the material world is no more, what would have the past sufferings and disappointments in life mattered when entering eternity?

The spirit world is something quite distinct and different from the material world.

If heaven is a place of peace, tranquility, love and light, and eternity is greater than the few years we have in the flesh, why become distracted the few years we are growing among weeds when the greenest pasture awaits us?

This is why wisdom is of greater value than 'things' that are commonly considered 'valuable', like gold and certain other metals or material things.

With wisdom, one can turn nothing into something.

Through wisdom, what is derived from nothing can turn into a useful tool.

Without wisdom, a time of 'prosperity' can later turn into a time of calamity, destroying heart, mind and soul... yet some lessons must be learned first-hand.

What is to be said about education without apprenticeship?

What is said about knowledge without wisdom?

A skill can be developed and still all income can be lost when a craftsman ventures into the world of investments.

Have you ever heard of a sports figure who, after acquiring millions of dollars in salaries, somehow becomes bankrupt when they stop playing sports?

Or an older couple who, after a lifetime of diligently saving and being very disciplined with their spending, somehow loses their nest egg to a 'trusting' fast-talking salesman?

A financial education is not so much an effort aiming for millions of dollars and becoming a callous business person.

A financial education should enlighten someone, granting a glimpse into the reality that the world is a marketplace, helping the economic student to look beyond their monies, investments, market cycles and the manner of producing an income.

Becoming wise regarding monies is not about making lots of money, it is about keeping as much as you can from what you earn.

'Paying Yourself First' is one popular concept.

A pitfall of gathering savings is, when a compulsion arises, that savings soon departs.

Discipline is a word to consider.

Discipline should trump emotion and the compulsion to spend.

Discipline builds a retirement.

Discipline leaves a gift to the next generation.

A wise and disciplined investment can produce returns that can last several generations.

The aim, I think, shouldn't focus on becoming the wealthiest person among peers, but one who doesn't have to worry much about finances.

Such a person can be a backstop for their friends and relatives; realizing the true use of wealth, a proper tool to be used for good.

The heart-felt and conscientious approach to using the tool of money properly can produce much good, granting eternal and temporary returns for both the giver and the recipient.