In an effort to help the environment, I went shopping for a tumbler that would hold my water for classes. Usually, I'll buy a box of 500ml bottles of mineral water per 2 weeks for class usage. Which is 48 bottles per month. Sigh.
I do recycle them but somehow, in my own mind, if I use a tumbler, I can just use a mini electric kettle to boil water or buy the big big bottle of mineral water, a 5 liter jug that can see me through when I have no other water supply.
I drink way more than that, but this is for my drinking water in class (I drink a lot).
So I was browsing through the tumblers, oooh and ahh-ing at the designs till I came across a red one that had this quote printed:
Chase your passion, not pension.
My reaction:
*raises a brow, purse my lips slightly*
I just have a lot of problems with that statement.
First of all, there's nothing wrong in doing what you're passionate about and hey, if it happens to help give you the financial support you'll surely need in your life, even better.
But, not many can chase their passion and earn a living. Oh I know, don't give me the "Don't let money and capitalism rule your life Hanis." talk. You'll need money set aside for your retirement time, the most important factor being your health.
I took Pensions last semester and the few reasons your pension is important has nothing to do with capitalism. It has to do with survival. You know, health cost, increasing living cost, inflation, etc.
Do not give me the "My kids will help me" excuse.
*stamps foot*
Your parents will help you - Excuse when you're younger.
Your kids will help you - Excuse when you're older.
To the people who think this, are you that pathetic? Is that the reason you got parents and kids? Grow a freaking back bone and try to be independent. Do not put their assistance as Plan A. Heck, not even Plan J.
There's few ways I can see that might give you the excuse to chase your passion, not pension.
1. You're from a rich rich family with parents who don't care that you'll be a freeloader.
2. You got a BIG trust fund.
3. You won't mind being a hobo with an infested leg.
4. Somehow, your passion helps you make tons of money.
To put it simply: Your passion might not help you pay for that prothestic leg when you get a foot cut off due to diabetics when you're 60.
Even the healthiest people get heart attacks.
I'll end this with my version of the quote.
Chase your passion and pension.
5 comments:
Indeed, chasing both is the correct answer. I don't think my dad is relying on me to help support him but I want to do it. Still, he can't rely on me just yet. I don't mind being a hobo though.
AGREED. Mostly, I think. My one complaint is people who chase their pension because it's more glamorous - just a personal opinion, if your tiny passion will help you live a reasonable life, go with it. Just because it won't make you a MILLIONAIRE, doesn't mean it won't make you happy. Is that fair?
@Mark: A good child would help their parents. But a good parent won't see their kid as a future bank.
@Laila:I don't really see how chasing your pension seems glamourous? From what I heard, being a slave for that pension makes you a boring person, enslaved by capitalism. Not that I believe in that.
And here's the problem, everyone has a different definition of a reasonable life. Some people are happy to just stay where they are, living at the same economic level of their parents and etc. Some, don't.
But as I said, your passion is not going to help you when you need that money for an emergency. Or for that hip replacement. Or when your house burn down when you're 60. Its not going to give you a comfortable retirement phase.
Lawl, what I mean is... someone here could be a teacher, it could be their dream, and that would still let them live a relatively normal life. But some people, though they want to be the teacher, are compelled to drop that ambition because they don't think it makes enough - enough being a mansion with a swimming pool and seven cars or something. I mean, although my mother doesn't set that exact standard, she refuses to think I'll ever live happily if I don't make an extravagant amount of money. Extravagant being the key word, here.
Though I guess it makes sense when you say people have different definitions of reasonable *shrug* Such is life.
Maybe your mother just wants to make sure you have enough money. Haha. Mine doesn't say anything, just that "I'll kick your ass if you dare stop working. We didn't send you to study and then just stop working, no matter how rich your husband is."
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