The system is broken, and I’m done with it… at least as much as I can be.
By “the system”, I mean the traditional path we’re told to follow to achieve success: do well in school, get good grades, go to college, secure a good job, work until you’re 65 (or 70 now?!) and everything will fall into place.
However, this narrative no longer holds true.
Wages have stagnated compared to inflation, caused by the government’s excessive money printing and spending. This drives up the costs on everything from groceries, to cars, and housing, while your purchasing power dwindles year after year. If this concept doesn’t make sense to you – don’t worry – it evades many people. But the fact that you’re here reading this, means that you care enough to learn, and you might also be feeling like you’re a bit done with the system yourself.
For example: my annual pay increases at work have been less than the inflation rate for quite some time. This means if I get a 2% raise, and inflation is at 3%, I’m essentially losing money. The amount of actual dollars I bring home will go up (yay!), however each dollar I bring home buys less than it did the year before (boo!). This is what’s called purchasing power, and for those in the lower to middle class, stagnant wages and inflation are a recipe for losing it.
Ok, so we’re all losing a little money each year and things cost a bunch more… so what? Don’t be greedy.
I believe this change in the system has had a major cultural impact on our society, and the trickledown effect is having a profound, negative, impact on our communities and our health.
As costs continue to rise, it’s increasingly difficult for families to survive on a single income – forcing both parents into the workforce more than ever before. This shift means that no one is at home to provide a healthy and stable environment for children. Instead, families must rely on daycare, not only for infants but also for after-school care, leaving kids without the consistency, routine, and support they need from family members at home. Even after-school activities, while beneficial in many ways, further reduce family time, leading to rushed, stressful evenings and busy weekends.
Without a parent at home, there’s no one to ask about their day, celebrate their wins, and help process challenging events.
Even family vacations, meant to provide quality time together, often become rushed and stressful as well, more about capturing photo opportunities than truly connecting. Travel has also become more expensive than ever, adding to the burden. And since you can essentially finance anything nowadays, family debt continues to reach unprecedented levels, compounding the stress.
And this doesn’t even touch on the impact to our physical health. Time is our most precious resource, and as we rush from one obligation to the next, checking off all boxes that the system tells us we need to complete, convenience becomes the priority over health. Fast food, processed meals, and eating on the go have become the norm, with no time to exercise, rest, or focus on healthy habits. This lifestyle has led to the highest levels of obesity, diabetes, and chronic illness that our society has ever seen.
This is what I mean when I say the system is broken. We wonder why the world feels like such a crazy foreign place compared to the ideals that were sold to us – and it’s because we’re focusing on all the wrong things.
The world has changed infinitely faster than we have as human beings, and we’ve lost touch with our own nature.
I’m not just talking about going for a hike (although recommended). I’m talking about our own nature as human beings – what is natural to us. There have only been a few times in my life where I’ve really questioned “what the hell are we doing here?!” and I’ve come to realize that these situations have been in relation to the core pillars of life as I see them: Family, Fitness, and Finance.
- I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong when we were supposed to send our 6 month old child to daycare so my wife could go back to work.
- I found myself questioning everything 2 months into my first job after college, unable to fathom how people are ok with doing this for the next 45+ years.
- And I remember losing a coworker to illness shortly after they retired, never getting to enjoy life after work, because they spent all their time and energy at the office
To all 3 of these situations, my visceral response was, “what the hell are we doing here?!”. I trusted my gut to tell me that something was wrong and I’m glad I listened.
I realized that no one is ever going to care about my family, fitness, or finances more than myself. And these moments challenged me to step up and do something about it.
The system tells us to do the right things and the good things will come, but the truth is you’re on your own. You can complain about your circumstances or you can take accountability and put in the effort yourself. And I’ve decided to do just that.
The system might be broken, but you can still use it to your advantage. It’s about understanding how it all works so you can use it to get ahead.
Money is the lynchpin. It’s the key to everything.
It allows you to buy your freedom, and your freedom is what allows you to live as independently from the system as possible.
Once free, you can focus your time and energy on the things that truly matter in life. The things that get overly neglected while living in the system – your family and your health.
The 3 situations where I questioned “what the hell are we doing here?!” were all pivotal moments in my journey to take control of my life – opting out of the system. You can read about those moments here:
Family: You homeschool your kids?!
Fitness: I won’t let work kill me.
Finance: “When did you start accumulating wealth?”
What are some of the moments in your life where you realized the system was broken?
What are some of the things you have you done to help remove yourself from this broken system?
