Gold is money?

I feel like I've already written a post with this title, but I can’t find it. Maybe I just talked about the idea with a friend. Well, if I ever find that I did write a post with this title, I’ll change this post’s title to “Mountain of gold”.

Ok, so like, I keep reading user comments online about how if the economy goes belly up (and/or if the dollar collapses) they’re going to be ready with gold, food/water storage and ammunition (with guns, I presume). ...And I just wonder how that will play out.

I picture this guy sitting in a lawn chair, atop a big pile of gold. He’s got a big machine gun and belts of ammunition hanging off of him (with another pile of ammunition next to the pile of gold). Then behind those two piles (of gold and ammunition, respectively), there is a large storage unit with piles of food and water (in bottles).

What does he need the food and water for? Well, obviously he needs to eat and drink. What’s the ammunition for? To protect the food and water, and his pile of gold. What’s the gold for? Umm...good question. We’ll play out this scenario and see.

So let’s say some marauders come and try to take his gold. The guy shoots ‘em dead and, yeah. He keeps his gold and food/water. Fine. Then, more marauders come, try to take his stuff, and they’re gunned down. Ok.

But over time, the guy starts to run low on ammunition, and he’s had to keep eating and drinking to stay alive, so his food and water are running low. So he has to go out and buy more ammo and food and water. What does he use to buy these things? Gold. Because gold is money.

Ok, so he buys more ammunition, food, and water, but now has less gold. Rinse and repeat this cycle a few times and pretty soon, he’s low on everything; food/water, ammunition, and gold (which begs the question why he’s putting in such effort to protect something which only gets depleted by the very means to protect it, but nevermind that).

It’s clear enough how he replaces the food, water, and ammunition, but how does he replace the gold that he’s spent?

Currently, we use money (paper money) to buy gold, but if gold is money, then…I guess he’d use gold to buy more...gold. Though...not sure how that solves his diminishing supply.

Well, that’s where I was going to end this silly scenario, but since people might think about the traditional means of getting more gold - by stealing it – I’ll close with, ok, fine, but idea there is that the gold (er...money) has to move in order to have any value. Just sitting on it won’t help you.

Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn

Not sure if anyone's noticed but these three planets have been very visible for the past few weeks with the naked eye, especially Mars and Jupiter. Mars is the closest it's been...since 2007, I think it was. And I don't know why, but when I look up at the planets, I don't feel small and insignificant like I used to when I looked up into space. Somehow, the fact that I can see them, especially Mars, I feel like it's right there. Or right here. And I feel connected to it, like I'm just as much there as it is here.

I don't mean it in a mystical way. I'm not sure. It's just a feeling. It's like when I see a mountain off in the distance. It's far away, and if I tried to walk towards, it, it would seem far. And yet, it's right there. I can see it.

"Knowledge and Wisdom" with age...

I'm finding my feelings and perceptions are changing as I get older. But I'm unable to associate it with knowledge or wisdom. It's just a change of perception for the time of my life that I'm in. It'll change more as I get older...but I won't be smarter.

The pike's lesson to the wart was right, especially the part on love. It's a trick of the brain...and you're supposed to fall for it.

Not tired

I wasn't sure what to call this post. Wanted to title it "Insomnia" or "Sleepless", but that wouldn't be right. I've been sleeping well...a little too well, really (at least on the days I don't work). But sleeping well causes me not to be tired the next night.

But "Not tired" isn't a good title, either, because my waking hours are kind of exhausting me. Not work. Work's fine. After work. I...well, let me just say what I've been doing outside working hours, and I'll make note of what things are making me tired and what things are making me...not tired.

I'm slowly cleaning my room, bit by bit. It's a big mess (and thinking of cleaning it makes me very tired) though...if I try to do it all at once, it may not take that long, but then it'll just go back to the way it was really quickly. So I'm trying to build small habits that will keep it clean...just taking a little bit out each time I leave my apartment. This way, I don't get tired.

I'm studying how to do different types of investments. I said in a couple earlier posts that I was dinking around with call options...and on that note, I'll say one of them went well and the other, not as well, but not terrible. I could probably get used to doing these, but the commission fees for these transactions are too much for the small amount of cash I'm working with. I've looked at other online brokers who have lower fees, but still require (due to recent regulations) fairly high minimum balances. Also been looking at other kinds of options trading and futures trading. But again, the minimum cash you need is more than I want to throw around (...or away).

Did reading that just make you tired? Yes, reading about investing and what to do with the stocks I do own has been exhausting me. But it's also interesting to me and since "the market" seems to be leveling off a bit, I want to learn ways to make money in a downturn market.

But my investigations are mostly bringing to my attention that I really don't have much money. It's weird, because I feel like I'm doing pretty well, but...never seems like enough. I suppose I just need to be patient, but how long can I really do this? I mean, all of this? Teaching here...investing...and for what?

This lead me to the third thing I've been doing...thinking about the future. When I first came to Korea in 2009, I didn't bother thinking of the future and...things went pretty well that way. But about a year or so ago, that seemed to have run it's course. And ironically, things seem to have gotten worse and more stressful for me since I started thinking about the future. But I don't see any way around it. I know I can't work here (or work, period) the rest of my life. The time will come when I will need to live off of what I've saved up and/or invested in.

Yes, I know other people have it worse; they have nothing to live off, or they didn't (or aren't) planning anything, but I can't do anything for them. Still, though, this planning of mine is preoccupying too much of my life. It strikes me that others who plan less than me seem to have more in their life than I do. That's what I don't get.

But, like, if I don't plan anything, I appear aimless and without ambition. But if I plan, I have no life.

*sigh* Well, I keep thinking if I just get me room clean, the rest of my life will improve, too. Maybe I'll start there.

Oh, I'm also reading a few books, but maybe I'll talk about those later.