PRESERVATION OF LIFE

When it comes to money and finance, the majority of people either do not get it or they do not know how to express their emotions about the situation. While some do not get it, I would tend to think that people get some of it but do not think deeply enough about it to put it into words. To make this point clear, most people do not think in terms of causes. They do not understand why things happen the way that they do. They feel helpless when it comes to money management.

There are two states of life, one is spiritual and the other physical. Money is to be used to further our physical well being. We have built into our nature, self preservation. Self preservation is the preservation of physical life. Death is an abnormality and no one in their right mind desires to die. The norm is to seek to preserve our life. This is why vast amounts of money are expended annually for medical services.

The main preservation of physical life is food consumption. Our food contains the necessary vitamins and minerals that give us energy and physical strength. Without food, we cannot earn a living. Food is an absolute necessity. Life in the earth would end without the ability to produce food. Nutritious food is essential for the preservation of physical life. Food is thus, foundational to the maintenance of physical life.

Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines preservation as, "The act of preserving or keeping safe; the act of keeping from injury, destruction or decay." Preservation is a form of wisdom. The frugal think in terms of preservation of life. To this end, the frugal understand that savings has to do with preservation of life. Savings has the future in mind. This means that savings is a means of preserving future life.

Savings, by definition, demonstrates that someone is future oriented. By contrast, a spendthrift is present oriented. The spendthrift does not regard the future preservation of life. This is anathema to him. The spendthrift does think about the future because he has no hope and no future. He is spiritually dead and demonstrates this spiritual condition by his present orientation. The wise think in terms of life and its preservation. They adjust their spending to be less than their income and thus, they have a surplus that can be used in the future against future expenses to preserve their lives.

Being future oriented is applied wisdom. Being present oriented is applied foolishness and yet, we are living in a time where people are present oriented. They live from paycheck to paycheck. They have made no provision for the preservation of life. John Maynard Keynes is reported to have said, "In the long run, we are all dead." To him it did not matter whether you were wise or foolish. This is the statement of a fool. The frugal are wise and save for the preservation of life in the future.