Mr Mascellani's Musings

But What Would You Do?

While it is true that things are not going too badly for me now,I have in the past worked for average and below
average wages.I have been a student and unemployed. I know what it is like to not have enough money, no
savings, to be constantly in debt.

It sucks. Your life becomes like a Marx Brothers' movie that isn’t funny.

When your mailbox is filled with final payment and intention to disconnect notices and ‘this matter has been
referred to our collection agency/legal department letters” and when you are constantly borrowing from Jill to
pay Jack, and hiding from every Tom, Dick and Harriet that you owe money to-then money becomes the main
focus of your life.

And, of course, you have no social life.

“ Why don’t you come out with us on Friday night”
“I’m short of money”.
“That’s ok, we’re only going for coffee and a movie”.
(Thinks: hmmm, the last time I went for coffee and a movie it cost more than 65 cents and that’s all I’ve
got on me until I get paid in 12 days time)

“Coffee and a movie, he? Sounds good, I’ll let you know.
“Ok, bye”.

One thing that I learned during my years of financial embarrassment is that people who do have money, and
who have never suffered financially can’t seem to wrap their minds around concepts such as “short of money”
or no “no money”

“Just coffee and movie” Sheeeesh. In Sydney, that’s going to be about $50.00.

One of the best things about going from unemployment to employment was being able to go to a restaurant
and concentrate on the food side of the menu instead of the price side, and ordering an entrée instead of
pretending that I wasn't hungry.

You'd think that after surviving on Austudy, the dole, and meagre wages that I would have learned to more
careful and miserly with my money- but no. I get paid fortnightly.And I usually live the first week as a king
and the second week as a pauper.

Yes, unless you have enough money to pay your bills and expenses with some left over for leisure and
social activities your life is pretty much fucked, that is why I have a day job that I do to the best of
my abilities.

But if tomorrow if I won the lottery, inherited enough money, or was to be supported financially by
some benevolent benefactor(ess) I would give up my day job without hesitation.

And I used to think that most people would do the same.

I was wrong.

Whenever the “would you work if you won the enough money not to” conversation comes up lot of people say

“Yes, because what would you do if you didn’t work”.

What would you do?

Have you read every book ever written? Can you speak every language? Watched every movie? Travelled to
every country? Can you play every musical instrument? You could become involved In causes and charities.
And, let’s face it-if you're stinking rich, what’s wrong with doing nothing every so often?

At this point, the person who would not give up his day job looks at me as if I were crazy. And says something such as:

“But I don’t like reading or travelling.
“They were just examples”.
“I’d still keep my job –I couldn’t think of anything to do if I didn’t do it-I’d be bored.”
“Well, if that’s the case, keep your job".

Each to his/her own.

I’m pretty certain that I will never be rich. But to me one of the best things about being rich would the freedom
of choice that comes with it. In fact, unlike people who aren’t rich it isn’t even a matter of choice unlike them
you don’t have to choose between buying a car or going an overseas holiday or putting down a deposit on a
house because you can’t affford to do all Three- you can, if you’re rich. The car, the holiday, and the house
are all yours. You can do or not do whatever you like whenever you feel like it.

The satisfaction of working and saving up for something? Overrated.

I mean, to me, doing something flying over to Belgium in your private jet to have waffles for breakfast and
then tipping the waiteress enough money so that she can quit his job (if she should want to), pay off her
house and send her kids to college sounds like a better way of spending your time then let working in a
job that affords you no satisfaction, working with people you don’t particularly like and for clients that are
rude ignoramuses because It is the only way that you can pay your mortgage (or rent) debts and bills.

But like I’ve said each to his/her own.

“But what if everybody thought like that who would work?” is something I often hear.

Well, the answer is that not everybody thinks like this and never will. There are workaholics who would work
24X7 if they could, no matter how rich they were. God bless and good luck to them.