"Hic et nunc" means "Here and now". This Latin phrase quite well translates the spirit that inhabits the Epicureans, whether they are from Roman times or today. You are probably wondering what Latin is doing on a financial site. However, the real question is rather: what is the purpose of finance?
Watching your brokerage account grow is always a pleasant experience. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true. In these times, you probably know what I'm talking about. At the end of the day, these are just numbers that appear on your screen. That doesn't mean much. Saving and investing is not an end in itself. It's just a means to a higher end, especially happiness.
As the saying goes, money does not buy happiness. It only opens up the field of possibilities. If we accumulate it without ever knowing how to enjoy it, then it is an endless quest, like the Rat Race.
"Hic et nunc" means that happiness is not located in an indefinite future and/or on a beach in another country. It is here and now: when you are reading this text on the sly in your employer's toilets, when you are illegally enjoying a Cornalin without a pass in your favorite bistro, when you are walking down the street on a sunny Thursday afternoon while everyone is working.
Whether you are still working or already a pensioner, you have the right to make long-term plans and strategies. On the other hand, happiness is not experienced in anticipation or deferred. It is there, in front of you, right now.
So, enjoy it, hic et nunc.
Discover more from dividendes
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Français 
English 
Italiano 
Deutsch 
Español 
Português
After having worked hard, saved, capitalized, stressed with your head down for 40 years with truncated vacations, overtime, files on weekends (not to mention higher education with prep classes, competitions, etc.), you can actually end up with quite significant savings because ultimately, knowing how to spend is also cultural.
There are people who know how to crack. That wasn't my background, rather old France.
People tell me today, "enjoy it because life is short and health is uncertain." True. But what does "enjoy it" mean? Blow it all on trips, cars, objects, luxury restaurants?
No. Taking advantage of it means no longer having to worry about something bad happening, work, repairs to the car or the house. It means being able to help your children and ultimately making money secondary.
Being able to put things into perspective, to say to yourself, "Hey, I could buy this expensive thing", but not doing it because you don't see the point. The Zen attitude.
That's right. Enjoying doesn't mean spending, at least not necessarily and certainly not in a frenzied manner. Otherwise we fall back into the pitfalls of the Rat Race.
Enjoying means having a good time, the zen attitude as you say. A nice capital obviously allows you to do it much more easily, because you are protected from a lot of constraints and unforeseen events.