How to Make Money While You Meditate

After surfing, meditating is one of my favourite things to do. It's a perfect escape from all the noise of the real world. Actually, noise is the key word here. It's everywhere, and it's getting worse. Sit back and take a look at just about anyone in their twenties today and watch how they get pushed around by the world.

They have friends messaging them, parents messaging them, bosses messaging them, colleagues messaging them, customers messaging them, advertisers messaging them, lovers messaging them, exes messaging them, stalkers messaging them, spammers messaging them, and as if that wasn't enough even Facebook is messaging them to tell them to install a new messenger.

And all the while we're supposed to be enthralled by with all this great technology. After all, it's this sort of technology is what makes our lives so easy today, right?

No. Wrong.

Technology no longer makes our lives easier. It just makes our lives faster, keeps us on the hedonic treadmill longer and ultimately makes us more dissatisfied with our lives.

There is a way out of this trap, but it requires recognising the uncomfortable truth about capitalism:

The rich invest and the poor consume.

Note this rule only applies to countries with a free market and secure property rights. In corrupt countries the rule is probably more like "The rich cheat and the poor do as they're told". For the purposes of this blog I'm going to presume you are able to invest in a free market with secure property rights. Even if you don't live in a free country you could still have opportunities to invest your money in one.

Now I can hear you thinking "I can't invest, because <insert rationalisation here>".

This is also not true. There is a very simple way to invest that requires absolutely no skill and gives you returns that, on average will be better than those achieved by professional investors. You don't even need much money to get started.

All you need to do is invest in everything.

Capitalism creates a competitive environment where, in a sense, even the losers win. The losers win because, although they fail at business, their assets and experiences will be absorbed by other businesses. Everyone ends up making some contribution to the economy.

Now, if you own a piece of that economy, then everyone is working for you.

It's so easy it's not funny.

To invest in everything all you need to do is buy index funds. Index funds are low-maintenance portfolios holding large numbers of assets such as property, company shares or bonds. Normally you'd by an index fund holding the top 300 or 500 companies in your country.

You might have to fill out some forms and do a bit of paperwork, but once you're set up that's all there is to it. The entire country is working for you.

Now go meditate.

About Roger Keays

Roger Keays is an artist, an engineer, and a student of life. He has no fixed address and has left footprints on 40-something different countries around the world. Roger is addicted to surfing. His other interests are music, psychology, languages, the proper use of semicolons, and finding good food.