170. Exchange of Time and Wealth | 花錢不是敗家，而是给自己時間
– Musings of Dr. Jamie C. Hsu, 3.28.2025
As I get older, I am using more services and assistance from others to do things I am no longer capable of or interested in. This includes taking care of the yard, mowing the lawn, servicing the car, cleaning the house, or preparing meals. The list gets longer to even include my health: more physical trainers, and doctors’ checkups.
In a sense, we more frequently use our wealth to buy other people’s labor and time, giving ourselves more time to enhance our health and pursue activities we enjoy more. This contrasts with what we did in our younger days when we used our time to work and earn money, or to save money by doing things ourselves.
In our youth, we trade our time to build wealth, and in our older age, we use wealth to buy others’ time. The key is to be aware of this changing role of wealth and time and adapt to the change. Otherwise, we may see people still working and trying to save in their old age, not realizing it is time to distribute wealth to younger people who have more time and capability.
When we were young, we went through training, education, and practice to build our intelligence and physical strength. In adult life, we apply this capability to create value for business and society, and to build our own wealth, position, and power. After achieving that, people may use the accumulated power and wealth very differently based on their personal inclinations. Some will earnestly conduct philanthropic work to serve humanity and the community, while others may wield their power or flaunt their wealth to satisfy their big egos.
Even worse, we are seeing some evil-minded people use their wealth to buy votes and power or exploit their power to gain wealth unethically. Conscience will guide us in how we apply our intelligence, wealth, and power.
I hope more people are willing to appropriately trade wealth for time and vice versa, so that both the youth and the elderly can live better lives. I also hope there are fewer people who abuse their power and wealth just to satisfy their own egos.
花錢不是敗家，而是给自己時間 (2025/03/28)
-作者 許俊宸博士
-中譯 薛乃綺
隨著年紀漸長，我越來越常仰賴各種服務和他人幫忙，來完成那些我已經不太能做、或沒什麼興趣做的事。像是整理庭院、割草、保養車子、打掃房子、煮飯……這些清單越來越長，甚至還包括健康方面的照護：依靠更多的健身教練、更多的健康檢查。
某種程度上来看，我們是用手上的資源來換取別人的勞力和時間，讓自己能騰出時間來關心自己的健康、做自己更喜歡的事。這樣的生活模式，其實跟年輕時是完全相反的：年輕時我們是花時間去賺錢、或為了省錢什麼都自己來。
簡單來說，年輕時我們用時間去累積財富；年紀大了，則是用財富去換取時間。關鍵在於能不能意識到這種角色的轉變，並適應它。否則，有些人到了年老還拼命工作、省吃儉用，卻沒發現其實應該是把財富適度地分享給年輕人，因為他們有相對時間效率和能力。
我們年輕時，透過學習、訓練和實作來培養智慧與體能；年長後，我們用這些能力來為社會創造價值、累積財富、地位和影響力。但接下來這些「成果」會怎麼被運用，就因人而異了。有些人會很認真地投入公益，回饋社會；但也有些人，則會開始炫耀財富、擺弄權力，只是為了滿足自己的虛榮心。
更糟的是，有些人甚至開始濫用金錢與權力：用錢買選票、用權勢撈錢，手段不甚道德。這時候，就得靠良知來提醒我們，如何善用智慧、財富與影響力。
真心希望大家都能適度地使用「財富換時間」、「時間換財富」，讓年輕人和年長者都能生活得更好。同時，也希望少一些那種只為了滿足自我，而濫用權力與財富的人。
