Dear YoYo members,
It’s been a while since I've been a host from last time. If you attended my meetings before, you may be familiar with the topic from this time. The previous topics were universal basic income, blockchain. These topics were related to money. What I am trying to do is to explore the possibility of living without earning money or using money.
In this meeting, we will explore “money” in your daily life and how you interact with it. I plan to host another meeting to talk about money again but in macro-economics in December. I hope you can enjoy the meeting.
Material:
https://youtu.be/evnKMl1JWQk
https://scroll.in/magazine/1000752/in-q ... hout-money
Session 1:
1. What does money mean to you? Describe it ONLY in one sentence. And other team members start with “WHY IS THAT”?
2. In Maslow's hierarchy of needs, it can roughly divide into three layers, which are physical needs, psychological needs, and self-actualization. I believe that the answer wouldn't be all or none in one of the layers. Can you give a percentage of your monthly cost spending on each layer? And examples for supporting your statement.
3. Based on the examples you have mentioned, what are the essential items for living in your life? Can those items be obtained without using money?
Session 2:
1. There is a utopia experiment in India, called Auroville. A quote said “There is enough food, water, energy, and natural resources on the planet for every human being.” Do you agree with that? Why and why not?
2. Auroville is the place that emphasised community, sustainability and the dream of a cashless society. Every citizen can get basic needs, such as clothes or toiletry, for free. On top of that, they published their own digital currency for exchange with a unique design that has a 9% depreciation every day in order to encourage people to spend it. If we are in this case, how will you spend your money?
3. Life is uncertain. People may be afraid of being laid off, accidents either themself or their family, so they keep part of the salary into savings. How much of the savings do you think is enough to cover the accidents that happened?
.......................................................................................
Agenda:
7:00 ~ 7:10pm Opening Remarks / Newcomer’s Self-introduction / Grouping
(Session I)
7:10 ~ 7:50pm Discussion Session (40 mins)
7:50 ~ 8:00pm Summarization (10 mins)
8:00 ~ 8:05pm Regrouping / Taking a 5 Minutes Break (Intermission)
(Session II)
8:05 ~ 8:45pm Discussion Session (40 mins)
8:45 ~ 8:55pm Summarization (10 mins)
8:55 ~ 9:00pm Concluding Remarks / Announcements
Meeting Date: As shown on the Subject Line
Meeting Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Online meeting:
Zoom meeting ID: 848 6108 3035
Password: yoyo2022
Link: https://tinyurl.com/yoyo2022-meeting
#YoyoEnglishClub
Important Notes:
1. We advise participants to print out the discussion questions and bring them to the meeting for reference. As for the supporting articles, feel free to print them out, as well, according to your preference.
2. We suggest that participants read the articles and think about the questions in advance.
3. Newcomers should prepare a two-to-three minute self-introduction in English to deliver when called upon by the host before the start of the discussion. The host may also ask you to give brief feedback about the meeting at the conclusion of the meeting.
4. We conduct the entire meeting in English. All participants should have at least moderate English-conversation skills and be able to articulate your ideas for each discussion question.
5. We welcome newcomers and other guests to attend the meetings and join the discussion freely for twice (including on-site and online meetings). After that, we hope you will consider becoming a YoYo English Club member. We charge a NT$1500 lifetime membership fee.
9/6 (Tue.) The relationship between money and us (Host: Thomas)
Re: 9/6 (Tue.) The relationship between money and us (Host: Thomas)
Move to the top.
Re: 9/6 (Tue.) The relationship between money and us (Host: Thomas)
What does money mean to you?
I like this question. It got people to reflect and to contemplate. For me, if only one sentence allowed, money means independence. To elaborate, money provides me with the biological necessities. Money sets me free from compromising for survival.
“Free from compromising” covers many layers of independence. We tend to compromise if we depend on others, for example, parents, spouse, bosses, or any financial sponsors. One of the most obvious examples is women’s independence in family and the society in recent history. When women get their own paychecks, they are less likely to compromise, because they think they are entitled to their own freedom.
But similar to many other things, money is a double-edged sword. To some extent, money means independence, but most people cannot hold the line that sets them free. They cross the line and get lost in pursuit of money. Eventually, they lose the independence and freedom again, they are trapped in the chains of financial slavery with never ending desire to fill.
So, what does money mean to me, again? I think it’s a knife with sharp blade. It is an innocent tool. It can carve something beautiful and give you peace of mind, but if not handle with care, it can also cut through you and leave you with a bleeding heart.
I like this question. It got people to reflect and to contemplate. For me, if only one sentence allowed, money means independence. To elaborate, money provides me with the biological necessities. Money sets me free from compromising for survival.
“Free from compromising” covers many layers of independence. We tend to compromise if we depend on others, for example, parents, spouse, bosses, or any financial sponsors. One of the most obvious examples is women’s independence in family and the society in recent history. When women get their own paychecks, they are less likely to compromise, because they think they are entitled to their own freedom.
But similar to many other things, money is a double-edged sword. To some extent, money means independence, but most people cannot hold the line that sets them free. They cross the line and get lost in pursuit of money. Eventually, they lose the independence and freedom again, they are trapped in the chains of financial slavery with never ending desire to fill.
So, what does money mean to me, again? I think it’s a knife with sharp blade. It is an innocent tool. It can carve something beautiful and give you peace of mind, but if not handle with care, it can also cut through you and leave you with a bleeding heart.