Alan Watts: What if Money Was No Object?

We as humans are driven by duty, stability, morals, comfort – but we do not draw inspiration on how to achieve this from what we learn, but rather from what we are told. The majority of us will synchronize our life choices with our parents, measuring up what happiness means to us to that of mother and father. Many people will endure a lot just to avoid seeming selfish, lazy, irresponsible and to ultimately not be seen as a disappointment. None of us can say that we have chosen a distinct path completely separate from the one forged by predecessors because that’s how animals learn; to continue the life of the previous generation. But surely in the twenty-first century we have more of a hold on our destinies and can sense when something is not right for us as individuals?

I’m not just talking about careers, we can also follow political stances that are not our own, materialistic traits, addictions, sexual preferences and a whole multitude of attitudes that we personally would not have chosen otherwise. Alan Watts, philosopher, writer and speaker, asked the question that I will continually ask myself whenever I feel as though I am deviating from what I want in life: What if money was no object? What would I focus on if I didn’t ‘have’ to do my eight-to-five office job every day? What if I didn’t ‘have’ to save up for a mortgage or yearly trip abroad to escape my self-inflicted boredom?

I am incredibly lucky, I appreciate this more than I probably let on. I have a wonderful family who have taught me well and they have provided me with everything I could have ever wanted, but now I am responsible for myself and for what happens in the rest of my life. It would do my parents an injustice to remain static even if they don’t entirely understand why I want to do what I want to do. I am not rebelling, I am not following trends, emulating heroes or driving for an impossible dream or selfish desire: I am simply evolving into the person I could be. I will still allow the lives of others to impact me and at times steer me a different way, but I will not let my ambitions and drive dissolve.

So if you have ever felt frustrated with your lot in life or weighed down by pressures you never wanted in the first place, watch the below video and ask yourself: what you would do if money was no object? Would you still grasp at all of those things? What do you really want to do?