The Two Paths - Freedom And Slavery

Source: Aesop, Fables

 
"Zeus once ordered Prometheus to show mankind the two ways: one the way of freedom and the other the way of slavery. Prometheus made the way of freedom rough at the beginning, impassable and steep, with no water anywhere to drink, full of brambles, and beset with dangers on all sides at first. Eventually, however, it became a smooth plain, lined with paths and filled with groves of fruit trees and waterways. Thus the distressing experience ended in repose for those who breathe the air of freedom. The way of slavery, however, started out as a smooth plain at the beginning, full of flowers, pleasant to look at and quite luxurious, but in the end it became impassable, steep and insurmountable on all sides."

Who is Prometheus? By the way, a movie with the same name coming our way soon.

I love Greek mythology as it has lots of similarity to Chinese mythology.

Unless you became an entrepreneur straight from school or inherited a family business, most of us would have walked on the smooth plain path towards slavery at some point in our career – although our parents and schools would very much prefer to sell it as taking the educated path towards “getting a high paying job”. 

Once upon a time, getting a high paying job in the government was the number one choice. Then big banks became the flavour of the decade. So was MNCs with their lure of overseas postings. I guess now its small start-ups with the potential to become the next Facebook? 

Wait! Rewind. Working at start-ups is not taking the easy path. It’s taking the rough path.

Only during the famine of winter do we realise we have been taken for fools. Especially if you have been “volunteered” by others to be jettisoned off the boat so the same others could remain afloat and “meet the numbers”.

Notice how the shares of public listed companies go up when the CEO announces they would chop off 10% of the workforce?

If you are one of those “investors” eagerly counting the potential increase in earnings per share for your stock, just remember when your number is up, other investors too will cheer the resolute and shareholder friendly decision of your chainsaw CEO.

What goes around comes around.

No whining please! We are Singaporeans!

Once great companies like Kodak, Nokia, Sony, Lehman Brothers are either bankrupt or are struggling to keep afloat. Is the company you are working for now better than them?

Working for the government safe? Countries can and have gone bust too. And there’s regime change. New political master must make room for their cronies supporters. Are you the willow who can bend in whatever direction the wind blows?  

Judging by the number of people who are willing to pay serious money to learn the way to financial freedom, I guess many have realised the path they have chosen is not the right one. 

Alas if they only knew that sitting in an air-con room for a few days or weeks is still the easy path…

The rough path means exactly that. You have to sweat, get some cuts and bruises along the trail, expose yourself to the wind, sun, rain, and snow…

You may want to read Aesop’s quote above again.