Early at the University of Miami, friends and I discussed what kinds of things we would do for money.  Naturally, the discussion iterated on both sides of this.  On one side, we discussed the nature of what we’d need to do; on the other, we contemplated the amount of money we’d receive.  At the time, I asserted that no amount of money would lead me to compromise on certain principles.  One friend responded, “Of course, there’s a dollar figure.  A buck’s a buck.”

Naturally, movies like Indecent Proposal lead us to contemplate these very limits of what we’d do and for how much.  However, money by itself is simply an arrangement of digits in an account.  It simply enables us to get a class of products (fancy car) or services (tropical vacation) we may get.  Alternatively, it’s a means to dissipate certain worries (broken car or leaky roof).  Having more money generally means more access, fewer worries, and a better life.

Continue reading “Would you compromise your principles for $19 million?”

Years ago, we discussed tech at work; if memory serves, it occurred during lunch.  I mentioned I would pick one particular device because it had a “larger screen”.  One friend interrupted me midsentence and corrected me, “It doesn’t have a larger screen, it has higher resolution.”  He was right, of course, that is precisely what I meant; I wanted the extra pixels for more digital elbow room.  I didn’t post an objection, though, at the time, it seemed a bit pedantic.

He later mentioned that misrepresenting facts felt like fingernails on a chalkboard; he felt compelled to correct it.  It felt surreal, like a “sorry, but I’m not sorry” type of apology.  I filed it away as “that’s the way he is” and moved on.  Anyone with a diverse enough group of friends understands that they all have their idiosyncrasies and buttons to push; we learn to navigate them.

Continue reading “The hypocrisy of the word ‘groomer’”