The inheritance of nuisance.
I have had a staunch view about inheritance of wealth, at least personally. There have been polar arguments with my parents about it. I have been expressing my intension to decouple myself from their wealth for some years now. They had a view that I was joking and was being naive, but, now, they are feeling the weight of the argument. They are under the pretension that I am taking this decision out of the arrogance that I am earning now, for i would have taken this decision even if i were leading a lower lifestyle strata.
I always respected their care to get me where I am now; I should owe it to them for giving me a good education and life style. I hear arguments which put forth "you accommodated the care shown by them then and now they are showing more care by passing on the legacy of wealth to me, why you are refuting it”. There are different ways of approaching life, but from my conditioning, I am convinced that only a life where we make our choices makes us responsible for our life, I am more a fan of Ayn Rand's objectivism flavored through Howard Roark and that makes me more comfortable in life. Its high-time we also come to terms that laziness to earn our basket of wealth through our own effort is not an excuse to take the least resistance path. It’s even insulting to relationships when i see families where there is a deceptive gel among them just because the hinge of wealth rests with their ancestor.
I feel that inherited wealth is like subsidy, it serves no purpose by providing to people who want it the least. The whole issue is the social construct around this practice of passing the wealth from one generation to another and the condescension that one has been be a responsible ancestor securing the life of the future generations. May be, it had relevance in the days when a family had to continue its line of business, as it had more of the skill element involved in it. Specialization and resource accumulation was more important for survival, it is even important now, but the distinguishing factor is that there was a lower chance of cross- fertilization of skills across different lineages. Now, it’s a different ball game, modern educational system allows a farmer's son to learn engineering, master in nano technology and become a entrepreneur.
There is another morally inductive behavior where the next generation has to guard the wealth/ business of the current generation just because they are born to them, although they might have a diametrically different interest in life.Personal freedom is taken for a ride. It is just a probability envisaged by nature to showcase its art in creating a creature when two polar genders voluntarily or involuntarily decided to experiment with coitus.
I always respected their care to get me where I am now; I should owe it to them for giving me a good education and life style. I hear arguments which put forth "you accommodated the care shown by them then and now they are showing more care by passing on the legacy of wealth to me, why you are refuting it”. There are different ways of approaching life, but from my conditioning, I am convinced that only a life where we make our choices makes us responsible for our life, I am more a fan of Ayn Rand's objectivism flavored through Howard Roark and that makes me more comfortable in life. Its high-time we also come to terms that laziness to earn our basket of wealth through our own effort is not an excuse to take the least resistance path. It’s even insulting to relationships when i see families where there is a deceptive gel among them just because the hinge of wealth rests with their ancestor.
I feel that inherited wealth is like subsidy, it serves no purpose by providing to people who want it the least. The whole issue is the social construct around this practice of passing the wealth from one generation to another and the condescension that one has been be a responsible ancestor securing the life of the future generations. May be, it had relevance in the days when a family had to continue its line of business, as it had more of the skill element involved in it. Specialization and resource accumulation was more important for survival, it is even important now, but the distinguishing factor is that there was a lower chance of cross- fertilization of skills across different lineages. Now, it’s a different ball game, modern educational system allows a farmer's son to learn engineering, master in nano technology and become a entrepreneur.
There is another morally inductive behavior where the next generation has to guard the wealth/ business of the current generation just because they are born to them, although they might have a diametrically different interest in life.Personal freedom is taken for a ride. It is just a probability envisaged by nature to showcase its art in creating a creature when two polar genders voluntarily or involuntarily decided to experiment with coitus.
Labels: social construct
share your thought -
instead of leaving the next generation with lots of dollars, lets leave them a good world to reach their own dreams :)
good post, hope you are doing fine!
Posted by
Bhars |
3:16 am
Mama you are lazy to accept property and maintain it. You do not become lazy with property and money, rather you will be lazy because you are lazy. Try reading Tortilla Flat, John Steinbeck. Cut out all the Ayn Rand. Can you accept the property for your parents sake and then sell it and do something you like or do some charity? For, your parents, I think are unaware of any objectivism, else you wouldnt be speaking of objectivism. Dont be scared of the responsibility man.
Posted by
vinod |
8:49 am
@Bhar
I totally believe in what you say , I would rather leave thoughts which would stand time than inflict them with wealth.
@Vinod
That was actually a good perspective, Out of my experience, I see people who are are lazy to even experiement their limits bcos they have a cushion in terms of thier ancestor's wealth.
About me selling the wealth,Who am i to do it,It was never mine.Just because i were born to them does not passo anythin.Of course I am not here to do charity, If I want to do it, I would do with what I can, with what what little I have.I would rather want them to do the honours of allocating thier well earned money for doing such things rather than me doing it.Well there are lots of institutions to care take. India is not yet devoid of people who want to do fgood for the masses.
I am not afraid of responsibility but rather sick of this moral condundrum in the name of legacy.Everybody is born free and has his rights to pursue what one wants to ...
Posted by
Sara |
10:00 pm
i thought testing out a new chute would be more enjoyable when there is cushion at the end of the fall. its ur call anyways!
Posted by
vinod |
7:22 am
I have to agree that is a also a way to go ahead but my conditioning has lead me to take this way!
Posted by
Sara |
8:21 am
Well, its good that you are willing to take Objectivism beyond a mere impractical moral construct to something more practical. Your writing is stupendous, well crafted and framed - a convincing argument, just like the way you talk. That doesn't mean its right.
I'm not going to argue that its not time to break the age-old practice of passing on wealth, but that its foolish on your side expecting your parents to do so. Their outlook on trans-generational wealth is not founded on objectivism, but on the traditions of our society. Its quite obscure that you chose them as your rival in your fight for Objectivism.
Bottom line - You are not standing on some moral high-ground by not willing to accept their wealth. However, you can start climbing that moral high ground by thinking about how you would deal with your wealth and what would your kids inherit.
Posted by
Santhosh |
4:56 pm
There is nothing to be right or wrong about such practices, Infact there is no need to morally judge it, that is whole point i am trying to drive it.It is a pure case of comfortability, I am not at ease with this method which hinders me from being what i am or what i want to be.The chains of birth does not give the freedom to curtail my freewill.More over, i feel that the greatest wealth they have given to me is the education and the character which they have passed on to me.I can create wealth many times more than what I would inherit, if I want to possess wealth at anypoint in time.That is the great attribute or legacy which I would want to take forward from them.
As Bharathi in her comment put it
"instead of leaving the next generation with lots of dollars, lets leave them a good world to reach their own dreams :)"
They have given me wings to fly and I need nothing more!
Posted by
Sara |
11:32 pm
Machan... You have, what 70 yrs? Do what you will and enjoy life is my first reaction! Secondly, being born wealthy is pure chance, so, You don't have to feel guilty about it! It's like saying you will disfigure yourself just because you inherited your looks from your parents. Conciously or unconciously, it has moulded you and I would think that you wuld not be the person that you are without that! To deny that is to deny what you are. The chains exist only when you want to see it and they don't go away just because you wish they were not there! Look at your inheritance as an opportunity to do some thing,an existential springboard if you will.
In a strange way, I think you are doing just that now. No one who was not born rich will ever have the opportunity to reject it! You are as a matter of fact, using your inheritance to prove to the world (although, mostly to yourself)that you arenot average.... Some blow away their parent's cash on wine, women and drugs. You do it on your narcissism and egomania.
Ultimately, that is the only difference.
Posted by
Hari Prasad Srinivasan |
7:17 am
I should agree with what you have to say da... I wanted to live my life and I feel that this wealth is hindering it altogether.Hari, You know better, everything is futile, the change which we induce or think we shall induce is a mere farce to the whole scheme of things.It is a pure ego gratification excercise which runs a marathon to distinguish and protect itself.Even the change which I am trying to create in myself by denying wealth is a futile excercise.You were right, I am trying to uphold my ego and narcissim or even trying to inflict a moral syndrome by my actions, but utimately I am comfortable with it and it suits my mental chemistry as of now.
Posted by
Sara |
1:01 am
Machi...Sara, now I understand you da. So, here is an idea. Romba Naala I have been thinking about running in the upcoming assembly / national polls. The only think that I need is money. If I have 4 crores, I think we can run a good campaign in a constituency of 1-2 million people. You can be my first donor to help me raise the money....?!
Posted by
Santhosh |
7:46 am
Dei Santhosh,
I can definitely contribute to the money raiser plan when you plan to be do it. Dude, money is not the criteria the will or conviction to do it is more important.BTW, how can i allocate something which does not belong to me..
I am waiting for you to unfold your political spreee...
Posted by
Sara |
10:49 pm
machi... we should understand from where the whole point of passing on the wealth comes from...
We are a society where the profession of the preceding generations were taken up by the succeeding generation, which necessarily meant a carpenter taught his skills to his son and handed his workshop , so was a agriculturist or even a barber...
But with systems changing and people like us moving out of the holds of the so called family professions, the passing on the wealth may become obsolete, but its left to us to take posession of them or not.
Now tell me if you dont want to take posession of the property , what will your parents do with it?
Do you think they would sell them and live a life.... ? I doubt if that would happen anytime for they know the toil theyhad put in to create the wealth ....
Posted by
Parthasarathy S |
3:57 am