Sarfaraz A Rehman: Time and Money relationship

Sarfaraz A Rehman: Time and Money relationship:                                                                         *worldatlas.com On reviewing insights into a time and money...

Time and Money relationship

                                                                        *worldatlas.com

On reviewing insights into a time and money relationship curve, based on information from the internet, I came to some startling conclusions. Let me caution, these are my own thoughts and may not be correct.

In a lifetime of approximately 80 years (remember today’s world average is already over 70), we essentially live it in three periods:

Pre-adulthood (25 years)

Regular work period (35 years)

Retirement (20 years)

Breaking down the above 80 years into broad activities:

Sleep (30%)

Work  (27%)

Drudgery, exercise, playing, eating, health (21%)

Own time (12%)

Spirituality/religiosity/conscience work (5%)

Miscellaneous (5%) 

'Disposable available money' during the three periods, as a percentage of a whole lifetime, is skewed dramatically towards the retirement period. This happens because you earn little in the pre-adulthood period; have many commitments in the work years; and build up a savings bank just pre-retirement (which is normally a period of less commitments/higher earnings). This is then available as disposable money during the retirement years.

Divide 'disposable available money', in terms of the spending on above named activities. The 'drudgery, exercise, playing, eating, health' activity takes more than 50% of disposable available money; ‘Miscellaneous’ over 40% (in retireiment our expenditure narrows, as our activities narrow).  So the following fascinating conclusions occur.

A) we do not have money most of our lives, while striving to obtain it - i.e. the first 60 years.

B) when we do have money, we are old, unable to use it, and a large portion is spent on health maintenance or recovery. Not on using the available money for enjoyment.

C) 40% of our money is spent on an amorphous/ambiguous ‘Miscellaneous’. This ‘Miscellaneous’ in time spent proportion, is only 5% of our lifetime and that too mostly in our later years. The conclusion derived from this statement is, that ‘Miscellaneous’ spent is either wasted or left as a legacy for our progeny. 

D) so the real question is, why do we struggle, take stress and spoil our health to get money, when it does not benefit us at all?

I am, to say the least, flummoxed. 

Sarfaraz A Rehman: What is strength?

Sarfaraz A Rehman: What is strength?:                                                        * From Wikipedia   Maria Andreyevna Rogova waddles off to the roadside cafe in...

What is strength?

                                                       *From Wikipedia 

Maria Andreyevna Rogova waddles off to the roadside cafe in emigre Paris accompanied by the forceful stranger, under huge duress, high emotion and great fear. She has just been informed her long lost daughter is in great distress and the stranger brings news of this, forcing her to abandon her fear and sit down with him. The thought which occurs to Maria is “from the strong I can protect myself. God preserve me from the weak.”  

  

Thirty plus years ago, when I first read these words in Smiley’s People, I passed them by without much thought. In later years as experience gathered, the words of John Le Carre have turned profound and have carried deeper and deeper meaning and I keep returning to these words, as they have been proved time and again. 

The characteristic of strength, is a lack of genuine fear. Not the gung-ho ‘I am a brave person and take on everyone’ variety. That is bravado; anyone can talk it up. The identification of this real lack of fear is a quiet understanding of what one is and within this capability, to live by principles, treat all as equals, be equitable and fair, have patience and show grace in all circumstances. Above all to be honest and help others, without prejudice. Such people are strong, they exude comfort and trust. They typically will go about their life with humility and contentment.  

The weak abound. Deep within they know the cracks. Cracks they hide, because they do not have the strength to face and repair these flaws. So they delude themselves. Instead a facade of power is created. They will dominate much, force much, carry this wrecking show through life damaging much. As time goes on they will become more entrenched, as the facade is established and they have to maintain it. Deeper and deeper this spiral will go and they will go stamping on their domain, creating fear rather than respect. That is the fear which Le Carre is talking about.

Of the strong there are few left, in this helter skelter, fast, humbug consumer world of ours, but wherever they are they leave much bigger footsteps, than seems possible. The weak are everywhere. Social media reveals them in droves. Trolls, bullies pushing their thoughts, shouting down others. You see them in the racists, the superior intellectual, the tough corporate hitman, the liberal beating their drum, the dogmatic reformer who rules by fear not reason.

Whenever you find someone who is genuinely strong, they will be doing something of worth, despite the struggle they are going through. Typically, this something is for others. The weak, they will have only one beneficiary, that is themselves. 

Le Carre said much in just one small sentence.

Sarfaraz A Rehman: Prejudice leaps forward

Sarfaraz A Rehman: Prejudice leaps forward: Humans are strangely self righteous and tribal about what is not in alignment with their thoughts and familiarity zone. This same though...

Prejudice leaps forward

Humans are strangely self righteous and tribal about what is not in alignment with their thoughts and familiarity zone. This same thought process is the basis of prejudice and racialism, and in more extreme cases death and destruction.

You see it starkly in human behaviour. Take a nice, suburban middle-aged woman as an example. She is quite honest and caring about people and is always ready to help others. Place her in a public area next to a scruffy, dirty youth. Watch how she reacts. I have seen this a few times at airports and  metros. The otherwise quite nice lady, will be abhorred by the disagreeable presence next to her, and wants to get away, so long as it is not construed as being rude. In the time of Trumpism, nothing is considered rude (that filter has been taken away), so more than likely the lady will change seats.

Why? Because she is now judging and rejecting the presence which is contrary to her image of comfort zone. But has the young scruffy person done someone any harm, has he committed a crime? No! That is what prejudice is. Expand it further and it becomes racialism and sectarianism. Take it a bit further, it leads to death and destruction. Notice the coloured guys who are regularly shot by police in USA, simply on racial profiling. Normally, these police personnel would sit and eat with them, but under stress  they can behave like narrow hateful beings when confronted with the out of the ordinary.

Do not be surprised that suddenly prejudice is appearing in droves in apparently very enlightened societies. The seed had always been present. But it had not been watered for several decades. Today its been watered and prepared to come out and so it is visible in tens of millions. It is going to appear more, because the genie is out of the bottle now. It takes a small time for society to deteriorate, but it can take decades to put them back on the right path again.

Similar events happened some 100 years ago and it took much death and destruction to control it. I hope this time humans find a saner and more peaceful way to put humanity back where it should be. Though my reality says it will be a long rocky road. Sadly! 

Sarfaraz A Rehman: A Concept of Living

Sarfaraz A Rehman: A Concept of Living:                                                 Br.freepik.com



 Through long contemplation and discussions, one reaches the conclusi...