What would you do if you were handed $86,400 every day for the rest of your life? It would be deposited in your bank account at the beginning of each day. There would be no limits or constraints on what you could spend it on, but there are some terms you would have to agree with. First, the money could not be rolled over or saved for the next day. So, whatever you do not spend on that day is gone forever. Second, the money could abruptly stop at any time without warning or question. So what would you do with all that money? I mean that is a lot of money to spend in one day by yourself.
The first thing I would do is pay off my student loans because those things are like the monsters from "Space Jam": they just keep growing and pushing me around. Then, maybe the second day I would buy my mom a house so that way she wouldn’t have to worry about anything for the rest of her life. Next, I would obviously buy a boat and a truck, but not just any boat: a Bass Master fishing boat with the fancy swivel seats.
Of course, I would have to buy my girlfriend and me plane tickets to all the exotic places in the world she wants to go. Even though I am terrified of traveling, I would go with her because I want to spend all of my time with her and experience all the things the world has to offer. But after days of traveling and spending money, I would get tired of being on the move and want to settle down somewhere.
If I truly had it my way, I would spend all my time in the wilderness. I wouldn’t have to worry about money, so I could spend the rest of my days hunting and fishing. Hopefully, I would have a wonderful wife who wanted to spend the rest of her time with me, too. Maybe I would build a cabin with a big fireplace and a wraparound porch where you could watch the sunrise each day. Since I wouldn’t have to worry about money, my time could be spent with my kids if I am lucky enough to have some. But eventually, I could probably run out of things to spend that money on so I would have to find another way to use it because I wouldn’t want it just going to waste.
Maybe I would open up a shelter or donate the money each day. I can’t use it all, so someone deserves to have some of it. Then others could benefit from the amazing deal I got from the bank. Eventually, the world would be a better place — little by little, we could make it great. That is, if we all take the deal.
Like the agreement says, the money could run out at any time. Hopefully, it lasts for a long time, but you never really know. I would hope that I could look back at all the things I spent my money on and smile. Maybe I could have made a difference in someone’s life by giving them a leg up and helping them when they needed it most. But I could also be selfish and spend every last dime on things that don’t matter at the end of the day. This deal has no limits so the choice is ultimately yours to make.
Sadly this bank doesn’t exist; there is no magic deal where you get free money. Sorry to all the Bernie Sander’s supporters out there, nothing against him, but nothing in life comes without a cost. We all have wants and needs that could obviously be solved with that money. But we do have something more valuable than all the money in the world combined. Something that even Donald Trump cannot buy with his small loan of a million dollars. It is the most valuable resource in the entire world, and we don’t know when it runs out. Yes, we can get projections and do everything right to make sure it lasts, but life happens and tomorrow it could all be gone.
You see I may have slightly lied earlier when I said that this deal didn’t exist. Not about actually getting the money. Sorry, you still don't get that. But, you do begin everyday with 86,400 seconds to spend on anything you want. Just like the deal earlier, it doesn’t roll over and you can’t save it. It could just run out at any moment and what would you do when it’s all gone? You can’t buy more time, so you have to live with what you spent it on.
I can’t tell you what to spend it on. Maybe you want to travel or be with family as much as possible. Some may turn to crime and hurting others, but that’s their choice. Let them waste their time, but don’t let them waste yours. In the end, what really matters is you can look back and have a full and carefree heart when Father Time comes knocking at your door to tell you your time is up.
