I read on SG yesterday an interesting comment about how moving into a rural area where you purchase land makes you wealthier than working and living in a city.
It sounds counter-intuitive at first, and I am not sure how true this is for others, but it is true for me.
After I wrote The Face on Mars, at age 26, and after doing my own book tour in Cape Town where I lived, in a way that would be impossible now, and was insane back then, I scraped up enough money to put down a deposit on two pieces of land in a little village about an hour away up the coast. It was a place just a couple hundred meters or less from the beach with guaranteed views of the ocean. There was very little there but the people that had homes there clearly had money. They were holiday homes mostly.
My life went in too many weird directions, and that land lay there for another 25 years before one of the plots was sold. My girlfriend from back then had paid the regular payments while I had thrown chinks of money at it in blocks from time to time. As we had bought these together at the time with my deposits and her regular payments, one was rightfully hers and one mine.
Her steady work meant she always did the monthly instalments, my way of living meant that at times I would pay off large amounts in one go. When we did the accounting it was pretty close to 50-50 with my payments being a bit more, but I was extremely aware that her regularity was what had allowed us to own those plots.
The one belonging to me was sold and that money used as a deposit on the place we are in now. But in the intervening 25 years or so, despite me making stupid money at times, I did not build up any other assets. There are probably “reasons”, but the reality is that I had life route changes that being rather drastic meant starting from scratch again a number of times. And I had not considered having children until my early 40s and then when I had, that didn’t go well at all. So, in essence, I was mostly only having to look after me. And who cares too much about that? Live frugally and build up assets? Or go see some exotic place, buy a custom rifle, go on holiday with a pretty girl, live in a place that has a view because it makes a difference to your mood, tell an employer he can shove his job when he acts like an asshole, and so on.
My freedom of mind has always had priority over the supposed success of the secular world.
Now, things are different. My freedom of mind is intimately tied to having as much time with my family as possible, which means a huge cut in salary. And this property is certainly worth more than any assets I even remotely had before. So, while from a day to day perspective I am a lot poorer, from an objective perspective, I am worth more than I ever was, and what is more, my descendants are stating out with something as soon as I drop dead. Which is of extreme importance.
How to go from here to building an empire* is… well… you know, one of those details that I have skipped over most of my life when making drastic life changes, but then, I’m still here, and I came through all those other times, so… there must be a way.
I know there is certainly my Will in it. And you know what they say about when there is one of those…
So, it is true. At least for me. Easy? No.
Potentially catastrophic for many? Yes.
Worth it, risk wise? Absolutely Yes.
As I say, that’s how it is for me. Let me know how it is for you.
* I personally have no wish for one, I’d be happy to live frugally writing my ideas and reading and shooting and maybe sailing a bit in my old age. But the world of mass murdering clowns has decided to try to wipe people like me (and you too, whoever you are) out, so, someone has to start building up the beginnings of hardcore Catholic City-States. Doing so is a worthwhile endeavour, not just for me, but, far more importantly, for my children and the children of those like me. It doesn’t matter if there is an apocalypse or not. It is the right direction in any case. In every case. And if my predictions of financial collapse are even remotely accurate, it is in fact imperative to do so.
I hope I will meet those of you who think similarly down the road. I know something is starting to stir here.
Rich Poverty
I read on SG yesterday an interesting comment about how moving into a rural area where you purchase land makes you wealthier than working and living in a city.
It sounds counter-intuitive at first, and I am not sure how true this is for others, but it is true for me.
After I wrote The Face on Mars, at age 26, and after doing my own book tour in Cape Town where I lived, in a way that would be impossible now, and was insane back then, I scraped up enough money to put down a deposit on two pieces of land in a little village about an hour away up the coast. It was a place just a couple hundred meters or less from the beach with guaranteed views of the ocean. There was very little there but the people that had homes there clearly had money. They were holiday homes mostly.
My life went in too many weird directions, and that land lay there for another 25 years before one of the plots was sold. My girlfriend from back then had paid the regular payments while I had thrown chinks of money at it in blocks from time to time. As we had bought these together at the time with my deposits and her regular payments, one was rightfully hers and one mine.
Her steady work meant she always did the monthly instalments, my way of living meant that at times I would pay off large amounts in one go. When we did the accounting it was pretty close to 50-50 with my payments being a bit more, but I was extremely aware that her regularity was what had allowed us to own those plots.
The one belonging to me was sold and that money used as a deposit on the place we are in now. But in the intervening 25 years or so, despite me making stupid money at times, I did not build up any other assets. There are probably “reasons”, but the reality is that I had life route changes that being rather drastic meant starting from scratch again a number of times. And I had not considered having children until my early 40s and then when I had, that didn’t go well at all. So, in essence, I was mostly only having to look after me. And who cares too much about that? Live frugally and build up assets? Or go see some exotic place, buy a custom rifle, go on holiday with a pretty girl, live in a place that has a view because it makes a difference to your mood, tell an employer he can shove his job when he acts like an asshole, and so on.
My freedom of mind has always had priority over the supposed success of the secular world.
Now, things are different. My freedom of mind is intimately tied to having as much time with my family as possible, which means a huge cut in salary. And this property is certainly worth more than any assets I even remotely had before. So, while from a day to day perspective I am a lot poorer, from an objective perspective, I am worth more than I ever was, and what is more, my descendants are stating out with something as soon as I drop dead. Which is of extreme importance.
How to go from here to building an empire* is… well… you know, one of those details that I have skipped over most of my life when making drastic life changes, but then, I’m still here, and I came through all those other times, so… there must be a way.
I know there is certainly my Will in it. And you know what they say about when there is one of those…
So, it is true. At least for me. Easy? No.
Potentially catastrophic for many? Yes.
Worth it, risk wise? Absolutely Yes.
As I say, that’s how it is for me. Let me know how it is for you.
* I personally have no wish for one, I’d be happy to live frugally writing my ideas and reading and shooting and maybe sailing a bit in my old age. But the world of mass murdering clowns has decided to try to wipe people like me (and you too, whoever you are) out, so, someone has to start building up the beginnings of hardcore Catholic City-States. Doing so is a worthwhile endeavour, not just for me, but, far more importantly, for my children and the children of those like me. It doesn’t matter if there is an apocalypse or not. It is the right direction in any case. In every case. And if my predictions of financial collapse are even remotely accurate, it is in fact imperative to do so.
I hope I will meet those of you who think similarly down the road. I know something is starting to stir here.
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