#98: End-of-Life Planning (PART 2)

【Love Ain’t Money】
Truth be told, whether we’re left with inheritance or not, it really has nothing to do with love and happiness.
 
Simply put, it’s because love isn’t money.
 
“But what about falling seriously ill, or getting in a devastating accident? We just don’t know what life may bring, so extra money won’t hurt.”
 
We certainly don’t deny that such argument is born out of kindness for our family.
 
Yet, it’s as if to make a case for inheritance like selling an insurance.
 
All the while in this world today, roughly 6.5 billion of us comprising 80% of the population get by with under $600/month. What’s more, 700 million of us barely survive with under $65/month.
 
That’s exactly what we worry about for our family after we pass away. Naturally, we want to do everything we can for our loved ones to avoid falling into a situation as such.
 
The terrible truth is that such situation is already falling upon an overwhelming number of us in this world, even right at this moment. And so many of them have fallen into the situation at no fault of their own; in most cases simply born into it.
 
We live in a world dominated by the mainstream that embraces the value of kindness for our family, yet willfully neglects to do likewise for others in real need of help.
 
“Family is the most important” is our virtue. “Family is everything” is our belief. “We’re just protecting our family” is our proud sense of responsibility.
 
We trust it’s good; it’s the right thing to do.
 
Yet, we can’t help but make a regrettable observation that this sense of “good” and “right” from time to time, morphs into a twisted logic of “Therefore, it’s inevitable we cut others off.”
 
And along this trajectory lies our proud sense of responsibility in “We’re just protecting our country” that, from time to time, morphs into a twisted logic of “Therefore, it’s inevitable we cut off the people of other countries.” In the name of national interest/security, this brings out violence and war.
 
At the root of it all is favoring only our family, across generations, in the name of “love.”
 
Even after we leave this world, is our fixation to a Selfish Love so important to us? Is it so important in our end-of-life planning to reserve our love only for our own family with little regard to others?

​Without honestly facing those who are simply born into hardships through no fault of their own?

Read Next: End-of-Life Planning (3)【Love is Heart & Soul】
Read Previous: End-of-Life Planning (1)【Love Ain’t a Thing】
 
Complete Series: End-of-Life Planning (1)～(3)
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Read Theme: Family