Now don’t get me wrong. I would love to improve my current life. I have a few too many muffins in my muffin top that need to be Tae-Boed, I could floss more, save more, and spend less. I could become a better me and be more mindful of my breathing and blinking and stuff like that. No doubt.
But there are TWO reasons why I am exponentially more interested in what comes next – what my “life” looks like for eternity rather than just the next 30-40 years. The reasons are:
- Depreciation
- Numbers
Let’s begin by reviewing the first point – depreciation. I may be expected to know this already since I’m a financial planner, but Joe the Plumber also knows that it’s better to invest more in a home – an appreciating asset – than in a car, which is a depreciating asset. It’s considered more prudent to invest in something that will last in perpetuity over something that has a limited life span.
To me, the same goes for the body vs the soul. The body is a depreciating asset. Sorry to say that so bluntly, but it’s true. Over time we go from being glorious, full blooming flowers to wilted, dried up stalks. From battling grey hair, wrinkles, decreased energy, increased grumpiness, and the aforementioned muffin tops, it’s a downhill slide as we age. (Don’t deny it, you know what I’m talking about, baldy!) Of course there are those who manage to slow the aging process down and bail out enough water so that the boat still floats. But it takes more and more effort and investment as the cracks keep widening.
On top of that, our life span is so ridiculously short compared to the incredible amount of effort we put into ourselves. We spend a good 25 years learning to walk, talk, read, and acquire a money-earning skill, another 40 years running a race to satisfy our ever increasing needs, and then the next 20-30 years coping with dwindling health and savings. I almost cried the day I bought my first vitamin pill box and I will be irreparably traumatized when they send me an AARP card in a few years. (They don’t even ask, they just send it to everyone at 50. This should be illegal!)
I mean, really, is this whole roller coaster truly worth it? It’s utterly exhausting at times. And then at the end of it all, this demanding, deteriorating body, with its lifelong craving for satiation of sensory pleasures – for pleasing tastes, sights, sounds, touches, and smells – at the end of this long marathon, the body simply betrays us and DIES. How do you like that?? We spend a lifetime catering to this ungrateful, wise-ass punk of a body, and in the end it sputters out. Just like a $500k Lamborghini with an insatiable appetite for expensive repairs, oil, maintenance, and gas will one day run out of miles and end up in the junkyard. All that investment goes down the tubes.
I like to accumulate luxuries and go for massages and get expensive haircuts and buy iStuff just as much as the next person. But these are temporary pleasures for a temporary body. Whereas the same efforts and money put into a permanent home – our souls – will appreciate or grow in value over time. What’s becoming more and more important to me is cultivating and growing my mind and spiritual awareness, assuming there is an afterlife and I get to take my portfolio with me to where I go next.
OTHER POSTS YOU MIGHT LIKE
That brings me to my second point – it’s a numbers game. The afterlife, or eternity, is greater than my current life, another 30-50 years at most. It’s easy math:
ETERNITY > NOW
If I knew there will be no afterlife, if the Big Bang was it and we are random miracles of nature that will simply dissipate and cease to exist one day, then sure, I’d be more interested in my current incarnation. Of course I would. Because then:
NOW > NOTHING AFTERWARDS
But since I lean towards the belief that there most likely is an afterlife, I put more of my efforts into advancing my soul than I do my looks, finances, or current ego. My current incarnation with it’s current circle of friends, family, career, and pleasures is a temptation and compelling in it’s tangible, short-term gratification metrics, especially over an intangible ROI of spiritual development. But cerebrally I know I’m only here for what seems the blink of an eye and I can’t help but worry and wonder about what comes next.
I’ll confess, being spiritually aware can be lame! I think I used to be happier and more motivated when I was young, ignorant, and in love with my present life and worldly possessions. Those innocent, materialistic days were awesomesauce and if I could, I might have chosen to remain in that more blissful, optimistic mindset. (I’d sure be more fun to my friends.)
But as you get older and go through life experiences, the reality of a finite existence becomes more stark and less avoidable. There is no going back to childhood innocence, only forward through the dark tunnel towards light and enlightenment.
And of course being a financial planner, and the daughter of a former math teacher, I can’t help but understand the following concepts: 1) the body is a depreciating asset, and 2) eternity is greater than now. In the realm of logic and numbers, the choice becomes clear – my soul justifies the greater investment of resources.
Reader Interactions