Are we really getting stupider?

Currently, I am enjoying reading a book called, Early Retirement Extreme written by Jacob Lund Fisker. I have read only 30% of his book so far but I already love his strong (maybe too extreme to someone) views on our consumerism society and importance of financial independence. What Jacob wants to tell us through the book (I think) is how to make ourselves to stop working for money and stop worrying about the next paycheck in just a short number of years by changing our attitudes on lifestyle and managing our spending habits. Honestly, I couldn’t agree more about his views on our current work dominated society and awareness of importance in examining our defaulted life path (as Jacob outlined such as graduating high school, getting a college degree, buying a car, getting married, buying a house, filling it with furniture, clothes, TVs, washing machines, lawn mowers, and electric egg boilers, and then spending the next 40 years working 9-5 to pay it all off), and I cannot wait to finish the book to know more about ‘the strategy’ to get out of this rat race as soon as possible.

 

One of the most interesting his opinions that caught my attention was ‘we are getting stupider’ and I cannot stop thinking more about it. How dare he could say that we are getting more incompetent and imprudent? As a highly educated person, I should question about his tough statement, shouldn’t I?

 

Firstly, according to data from the ACEPT (the Australian Council for Private Education and Training), 40 per cent of 25-34 years olds will have a bachelor degree or above by 2025. That means more and more people are getting higher education, doesn’t it?

 

Secondly, many of my colleagues and friends are continuously taking professional degrees either voluntarily (or forced by work atmosphere) in order to improve their career progression (or not to get fired) and to survive in an increasingly competitive global employment market after their bachelor degree(s) or even master degree(s). That means even smart people try to get smarter, doesn’t it?  Life lasting study cannot help us to get smarter, then what else?

 

As internet access is claimed as a human right (by my fourteen year old niece), people are surrounded by unlimited information. Whatever we want to know, google it and there will be whatever we were looking for. We now can know/see/learn more and faster than ever before. Whenever we move our fingers, there are more than enough of information available and accessible that frequently makes us feel overwhelmed. Doesn’t it mean we are getting smarter?

 

Ironically, I have found that many of human behaviours are less likely to be reasonable or rational nowadays especially, when people are supposed to be smarter than ever. These are the things that don’t make sense to me.

 

How come when people earn more than before but save less? I assume most of us know how to add (+) and subtract (-). Rationally, when people have more pluses, people are supposed to have more money in their savings, aren’t they? However, our saving rate has become close to 0% even though we make money more than ever. It doesn’t really make sense to me. Where all the money has gone? I believe we all learnt that we need to save up money for our future from the very early age but this basic advice doesn’t seem to work nowadays.

 

How many hours do you spend a day? Most of us, ordinary people spend about 10 hours a day (including commuting time and preparation time for work), 5 days a week (50 hours), 48 weeks a year (2,400 hours) and 40 years of your life (96,000 hours) at work, and those hours seem to be getting longer and longer by many reasons such as higher living cost, increased pension age, competitive employment market, etc… We spend more than 60 per cent and the most important stage of our life time at work and, look forward to be finally free when we are ‘OLD’ (ready to look for a nursing home). How does it sound to you? It sounds too awful that I cannot let myself to follow this ordinary life path. When people are smart enough, why they let their life to be like this. It doesn’t make sense to me. 

 

I think some people may like working and spend their life for achieving their passion and career but I know most of people hate to spend most of their life at work as only the reason to work is for funding their living. What I cannot understand is why people would waste their money for buying more and unnecessary things that force them to stay at work longer and longer. When people spend more and more money for obtaining things and have to spend more of their precious life at work to support their spending habits, the things cannot be valuable any longer as people become a slave to the objects. Is it reasonable to exchange your life to buy things? I seriously doubt that.    

 

“I bought a J…!” Every single minute (bit of exaggeration but seems like), TV commercial tells people that they should buy this and that because of they are special, they deserve and the stuff will make people’s life ‘Better’. Astonishingly, J’s sale has significantly increased recently and I can see the advertised car everywhere at the moment. People became great listeners. Whatever they are told, they believe and they buy it without second thoughts. That’s why advertisement has become so powerful. If we are smart enough, wouldn’t we question more about ‘WHY?’ 

 

I have met many, many people who are having financial problems in their life due to their spending habits, lack of money management skills, ignorance on their future, etc… and, I have tried many times to help them to find out the causes of their financial situation. Most of them did agree what the problems are and what they have to change to get better. However, very unfortunately hardly anyone do any action. It is too hard to limit their spending and to change their current lifestyle to them. What about the future when they are too old or sick that they have to stop working and no savings? Isn't it going to be far harder? When people know what the problems are, but refuse to get better, I can’t find any logic in their attitudes. 

 

 

 

This quote has been hanging under my computer screen for a month already since I found one of the early retirement blogs. It encourages me to think about my life path whenever I read out. Do you examine your life? Are you driving your life as you wanted?

 

I thought we all are getting smarter but regrettably I have to admit that I cannot dismiss Jacob’s argument after examining people’s behaviour. I hope my review about people’s current life style and spending habits can give you a chance to think about yourself as Jacob’s book awoke up my thoughts. 

Are we really getting smarter?