While common culture tends to portray the rich and powerful as the ones who are greedy and impatient, now I am aware of it I am noticing the reverse.
I have been talking with a lot of coworkers lately about the fact that I am starting a company and making alot of websites to bring in extra income, and eventually replace my job.
When I discuss these ideas with them and they give a positive response I usually offer to work with them on a project together. I volunteer to help them with the technical aspects if they provide the content, and we can split the profit from the site. Or I provide the tech and the content and they translate it.
Every single time I have suggested it, the response was the same. They would rather be paid by the hour for their work because they don’t want to wait 6 months for the return on their work. Even if that return is then paid for the rest of their lives.
From my mindset I find this unbelieveable. It is epsecially noticable with the Proctor Partnership Proposal. I have offerred to several friends who are translators that if they were prepared to translate 10k AUD worth of text, they could have a share in the company, that would, after 2 or so years, pay them at least 10k a year probably more like 50-100k or more eventually a year, for the rest of their life.
I would much prefer to do this than get an investor to give me money, then hire them with that same money to do the same job…
But they refuse to wait to see the results of their work. They want the money now, even if it is tiny compared to the long term profits. This need for instant gratification, and total lack of vision for the future is just amazing and stunning to me.
I am effectively offering them this : I can give you $10 today, or if you wait a week I can give you 10$ every day for ever. Without fail, everyone I have spoken too wants the money now, now, now and not a moment later.
If you look around at the increases in debt but decreases in savings prevelent in our society, this same idea has obviously become a deeply rooted part of our culture. There is no sense of patience. We want to buy now and pay later.
Delaying gratification is one of the most important parts of gaining wealth. So it should have been no suprise to me that the people around me, all obviously of a poor mentality, would feel this way. It is just difficult sometimes to realise that not everyone sees things the same way you do.
We are also treating the environment the same way, and our friends and lovers also. The results of this are plain to see. The plant is very close to cashing the cheque we have spent the last few hundred years writing (since the industrial revolution). I have a very ominous feeling though that this cheque is going to bounce…
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