I was having this conversation with two colleagues yesterday, on how much is really “how much”, and not “enough”?
Its an age old debate…..a malaise that afflicts those with children, those without children, those with dependent elders, those with total independence, those with long hair, and those with six goats 
….which mean pretty much everyone.
How much is enough for a rainy day? Depends right….are you planning for a Bangalore, where rain never seems to know whats an hour, in Mumbai where a fall lasts days or Cherapunjee, where rain means months
Without being/sounding too fatalistic ….let me make a few points.
For any human being, to plan (in earnest) beyond a few reasonable years, in a tenterhook world like today, is counter intuitive…..in a world dominated by lack of privacy, crimes of hate and religion, our own illfated romance with technology, and of course, jerks with nukes in their backyard….thinking beyond 5 years from now is like planning for your 140th birthday.
But….but…hold on…these very events, plus the damocles sword of job cuts and divorce payouts, and earthquakes….make some people take the exact reverse directional view…..they shall plan with a 50 year rain fund.
Just like the bloody stock markets…the world can accommodate both directions, the yin is always yearning for the yang……in this context I am like the feminine dark brooding yin…..one who sees the world in a pragmatic tinderbox context.
I have always noticed, that all human emotions – and that includes happiness, pessimism, insecurity, apprehension, joy – are all terribly infectious – especially if you wear it on your sleeve.
Dont believe me…trying living with a spouse who looks at the RBI rate hike as another sign to accumulate and hoard….try living a few years….and you become this person who thinks there is a spook in every smoke….
On the other hand, live with someone like me, who thinks this world is a yank and jerk video game….and what you get is this irreverent take on everyone including the Dalai Lama
Now, its a seperate debate, whats right or wrong…..or whats ideal (parked for another post!!)
But my drift is, do unto yourself what you expect your kids and life to be…..if you want your kids to be the Steve Jobs of this world…and you are planning (hoarding is the word) for a bloody Harvard education for them…guess what, I think Uncle Universe will send them to Harvard, Stern or some shit like that.
On the other hand, if you choose, to live life (like me), believing its going to end soon, guess what, your kids will in probability be irreverent bastards….but of those ashes will arise either a Roger Federer or Jack the Ripper ….and hey…am happy with either…at least they were well defined individuals
One last point, its not just individuals, but even corporations and cults foster this infectious creed….An Infosys which hoards and stashes in an attempt to make their life predictable, will get royally phucked….and that is already beginning….because in this modern world….the world will be dominated by folks who can continue to ride inflection waves (read Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Google, Samsung)….the ones that happen in a 2-5 year window….if you start planning for 2020, well….guess what….you wont probably see it at all…..you might be without a job by then.
Long post….will end my rambling…does that mean….no prudence at all? No, I think save, stash….do all the regular jackshit, but remember that tiny hoard is never going to protect against your layoff or limb disorienting car crash…..please, my request, don’t ever let your kids believe, for even a moment, that this bloody life can somehow be made deterministic…because the minute you try and create a monster like that, the first thing it cannibalises on is you
Have a good ride….I am damn lucky…..Bhala hua mori maala tooti, mein raam bhajan se chootih reh
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