What To Do With Your Bad Self After FIRE?”

Yesterday, I wrote about Joseph Campbell’s dim view of the values of Self-Actualization.

He thought they were the values of a “bore.”

He believed they were for a person who has nothing to live for except themselves.

Hmm.

I think what he missed, in a perhaps cursory reading of Maslow, is the idea that a self-actualized person can, and often does, turn around and lift all boats.

Ideally, the goal becomes greater self-actualization for all.

Someone reaches self-actualization, and they will help make the world a better place.

But has that really happened to any significant extent?

There are some amazing people out there, that’s for sure.

But you have to look for them.

Campbell Believed the values associated with the hierarchy of needs drive societies apart.

He declared that only the grip of a mythic life can unite people.

Campbell thought there are only two things that actually bring people together — aspiration and terror.

Meaning, we must band together to bring about an awesome vision (he gave the Egyptian Pyramids as an example), or work together to remove existential threats that face us all.

Yes, I agree aspirations can unite us.

However, it seems that terror can quickly erode society into atomistic ways of being, too.

Just look at what happened during the pandemic lockdowns and shortages.

it has dawned on me recently that all of us are facing a new shared crisis this decade, whether we are pre- or post-FIRE.

What do I mean?

The effect of the pandemic was that it pushed us back into a greater concern with the lowest levels of Maslow’s hierarchy.

In a way, it terrorized us into obsessing over our survival needs and safety needs.

Have we actually recovered from that trauma yet?

It also reduced our ability to meet our belongingness needs.

they helped during the pandemic, but technology platforms like Zoom are a poor substitute for IRL connections.

social media certainly hasn’t helped here, either,

but the pandemic solidified the hold of both on us.

Remember when you used to travel for work and have other types of in-person meetings?

Are those opportunities still around and as plentiful?

The meetings are still there, but the travel has all but DISAPPEARED, it seems.

Now it’s zoom, zoom, zoom, from the comfort of your own rooms.

It’s kind of meh, isn’t it?

Or is that just me?

Oh, no doubt it is easier, particularly if you have loved ones to care for.

but I guess that’s My whole point.

Work is primarily about meeting survival and safety needs in my culture and society.

Asking more of it was in vogue at one time, and perhaps still is in vogue,

but is it really?

And is it even possible?

I am not so sure.

the fact that I achieved FIRE and so many others have not and will not Occurs to me.

There is some guilt that goes along with this. Not a ton, but it does feel lopsided.

sure, I paid attention.

I put in the hard work and the long hours.

I put theory into practice.

And voila, I got free of the need for a paycheck.

Or did I?

I still rely on my investments in “fancy” companies and governments (bonds).

But I no longer have to put in the grind.

Now I have other people working for me.

Do I appreciate that enough?

Am I grateful enough about that?

Should we all just expect that?

Is Achieving FIRE a form of a healthy hierarchy?

It might be. If it is available to all. If the opportunity to do so is real.

In the late 19th century, Edward Bellamy described a society that was run this way.

In his book, Looking Backward, he gave a vision of just such a society.

People went into “service” working to meet the needs of society and were later released for leisure and the pursuit of an artistic life at middle age.

if done this way, FIRE seems close to that idea.

And I did my part, like those who served the rest of society in Bellamy’s vision.

In fact, I think I was essentially just like one of his working people, pre-FIRE.

It wasn’t a bad trade-off, really.

The company I worked for was about as good a company as you can ask to work for in this day and age.

It was often recognized for its high ethical standards.

That was good.

And I brought as much integrity to my work as I could.

This was particularly the case at the last company I worked for.

I genuinely wanted to contribute to its success.

Actually for my whole corporate career, I had a vision that the work I was doing was able of lifting other people’s boats. that made it worthwhile.

You see, I didn’t just want my own self-actualization.

I wanted to do work to help bring it about for as many people as possible.

It seemed the workplace was where the people were, so why not engage with it?

In fact, the only reason I was called to the work I did was the idea that perhaps we could make workplaces where self-actualization could be part of the social contract.

And I thought, perhaps, I could play a role in bringing that about.

But in the end, my work was mostly about meeting the two lower-level needs in Maslow’s hierarchy:

Survival and safety needs.

Indeed, achieving FIRE does give your self-actualization pyramid a solid foundation of security to build on.

And it can bring self-esteem and prestige, too.

As in, “Wow, I actually did it. Will you look at that? I did it.”

Not everyone can say this …

but don’t get me wrong … I am not recommending one brag about it!

FIRE also opens up new opportunities to self-actualize and to give back in a new way, if so inclined.

And, I think the majority of us are so inclined.

when it comes to Belongingness, though, it doesn’t do much for you there.

Relationships Have always been a bit of an issue for me, so I am not sure I am the best person to speak on that part of the FIRE experience.

I mean, I love people and I am relationship-oriented.

but I often fail in “building and tending” to the “tribe.”

That can change now, I think.

But it will require a lot of Intentional focus and time on my part.

However, What Joseph Campbell was talking about …

being seized by something to the point of being willing to relinquish and jeopardize the meeting of your own hierarchy of needs …

that’s a whole different level of being in the world.

Is that the real gift of FIRE?

To be seized by your own compelling personal myth?

Or is FIRE really just a path of renunciation?

This is kind of the idea behind Your Money and Your Life.

It’s not renunciation of the world to the point of an ascetic level of existence, but it’s definitely a Taoist view of achieving “enough.”

Or is FIRE a path of redemption?

I think this is what drives or drove Dave Ramsey.

He’s doing his personal finance teaching as an act of service which he believes his Lord has asked of him.

Or is the gift of FIRE greater power and achievement?

This may be unfair, as I haven’t read his book, but my guess is that is what Tony Robbins’ financial framework is meant to set you up to do.

“See You at the top” kind of thinking.

Or is it simply a path for a resigned cynic?

One who has a “The world is what it is, so don’t bother me with your highfalutin nonsense” kind of attitude?

I think this is the danger of Self-Actualization Campbell had in mind.

These are Just some of the larger questions lurking in the background of the reasons one seeks to achieve FIRE.

And I don’t know the answers. But I think they are important to consider.

As I reflect on my own pre-FIRE and post-FIRE life, I believe I primarily fell into the renunciation and power/achievement buckets.

I wanted to “opt out” of a system that was broken.

And, I wanted the power of freedom and choice.

But, Is that all I wanted out of this life?

Once you reach it and spend some time in a post-FIRE lifestyle, you may realize it’s not all about getting to your cross-over point.

Hey! … Dude.

Wasn’t this part of the steps about having More Fun in the Sun?

Oh, yeah. Absolutely.

This stuff isn’t fun to think about for you?

Well … then, as Peter Griffin might say, “Sowwy.”

I’ll try to bring in some more uplifting nonsense tomorrow.