Money

I was lying in bed last night when an interesting thought came to me--when it comes to money, there are only two kinds of people in the world:

1) those who see money as strictly utilitarian, and 2) those who view money as having inherent value in itself (i.e. just having money for the sake of having money is an asset).

I think that those in the first group are generally more happy, relaxed, and take life as it comes. The second group often comprises what our society defines as success, but I'd rather enjoy my life as a fleeting, meaningful and beautiful experience as opposed to a rat race to the ten million dollar mark.

The first group is where I strive to be, and I think (or at least hope) that's where I'm headed. Just a year ago, I was probably the greediest person I've known. I didn't want money just to buy stuff, support myself or take trips--I wanted money for the sake of having it. But now, I realize, that, well, money is no more than a means to an end. It's a great thing, but getting too caught up in accumulating your net worth or liquid assets soon becomes sickening.

I know for a fact that my first year at Stanford elicited this change in me.

Who knows? Maybe by the time I graduate I will have gone from a money-thirsty Wall Street wannabe to a wandering journeyman. I guess we'll just have to see.