ChuBlogga!

What would you do, if you had it?

Here's the premise: Say you inherit/obtain/earn a modest fortune. Not enough to be wildly extravagant, but enough to keep you from working, while providing for just about whatever you could want. What would you do with your time?

(Try to leave out the pat and simple one-line answers, here).

If you are a blogger, post your answer and trackback/comment back here. If not, then feel free to post in the comments.

This should be a fun little thought experiment.

If I had all the time in the world, I would...

...spend the first few years developing myself. Mostly survivalist skills, which will never go out of style. I choose to be hedonistic and simplistic here; however, I will qualify my apparent selfishness with the assertion that whatever I do would be done with the intent of making me a better servant.

During the first year: Preparing! Hit the basics - a strict physical regimen, brush up on my martial arts/weapons fighting. Learn gourmet cooking skills, automobile mechanics, and read as much classical literature, as well.

Second year: Adventuring! Hunting/safari, sharpshooting, tactical/squad-level weapons training, and sailing. Also, time permitting, learn how to fly a plane.

Third year: Thinking! Hard-core logic, debate, and apologetics study. This might as well be an intensive brain-skills year. Hmm, let's throw in archery just to keep things interesting.

Fourth year: Creating! Focus on musical training - guitar, bass, piano, voice, whatever I can learn. An excellent time to learn the drums, as my physical coordination skills should be peaked at this point.

Fifth year and beyond: At this point, I probably will have done most of what I have ever wanted to do. I might as well combine all my skills and become Batman. Actually, I would probably become a Jungian/Hemingway type - write, explore, do just about everything. Although minus the suicidal depression.

UPDATE

AlanDP's comment reminds me that I need to buy a nice strip of land (at least 2k long at some point) somewhere so I can set up a shooting range right next to the house. Make a nice zombie/SHTF/EOTWAWKI setup - house on a slight hill, clear lanes of fire all around, ammo reloading facility, long range and short range shooting areas. Maybe a moat. TONS of high-tech, EMP-hardened commo gear, enough stored provisions to last a year.

Might as well throw in the private airstrip and helicopter pad. That's another goal, along with general aviation skills, I'd like to learn how to fly a helo as well. Never hurts to be well-rounded.

Oh, and several large dogs. Can't forget those.

I would first buy a larger piece of property, say 100 acres, and build my own personal shooting range right next to the house.

I would go back to studying music, take up the sax and piano again, and probably get some vocal training as well. Not to mention more schooling in composition and theory.

I would also read more and write more.

By AlanDP, at 7/21/2006 05:55:00 PM

I spend just about all of my disposable income on the charity self defense course I started for violent crime survivors. Sometimes I have to let them turn the cable off so I can keep the lights burning.

If I had more money I would probably just expand the program. The kind of cash you are talking about would probably mean that I could make some investments, start a charitable foundation or corporation of some kind, and teach full time while paying myself a salary.

If I had a really huge pile I would still form the foundation, but I would form chapters in most major cities and hire other people as instructors. I would spend my days sitting in an office somewhere and working on managing the investments and soliciting donations.

Any way you look at it, I would still work.

James

By James R. Rummel, at 7/22/2006 08:05:00 AM

I figured out a while back that I could live on as little as one acre: 29 ft wide, 1500 ft long.

I'd need tolerant neighbors, though.....

By Anonymous, at 7/22/2006 08:23:00 AM

Linked!

"ChuBlogga has an interesting question. One that is definitely worth the time and thought."

By Fletch, at 7/22/2006 01:31:00 PM

Great blog!
All I'm saying is why not engage yourself for the NEXT 5 years in an endeavor that would provide you an income that not only INCREASES each year, but allows you to do these things you say you'd do - without "working" (in the traditional sense) ever again?

And this income would be helping others become healthier and allow them to live life more to their liking.

Just my two cents...

http://www.foltyn.biz

By Anonymous, at 7/22/2006 10:21:00 PM

I would do exactly what I am doing right now.... And I hope to move to the next phase before the money runs out.

"What is that?" says you. "Glad you asked," says I.

I own a 37 foot sailboat, and am trying (a little desperately at this point) to get it set for cruising the Carribean. Living on the hook - that's at anchor to you lubbers - in the islands is one of the pure pleasures in life. Expenses drop to food, clothing, minimal fuel for the boat, and fuel for the dinghy, upkeep, incidentals, ...

By Zendo Deb, at 7/27/2006 01:43:00 AM

Hi Chublogga! Hell in a Handbasket referred me here.

You guys are all very ambitious. Me, I'd pack up my child and head for various places we'd like to visit. Then when I got back I'd buy a house way out in the country and breed German shepherds and those German shepherds and I would spend a lot of time outside. (German shepherds like to have jobs to do, like learning to run obstacle courses.) And I would donate most of my German shepherds I bred to handicapped people who needed them.

By Anonymous, at 7/29/2006 08:17:00 PM

^^^ speak up ^^^

		Offended? Intrigued? Contact my manager.		Here begins your journey into the mind of everybody's favorite asian, and I don't mean Jet Li. What follows is the somewhat inane, mostly irrelevant, and self-important ramblings of a man on the brink of madness. Welcome... to the Chu.