Is FIRE Worth it?

Image: "Financial free fall" by Brintam

Sometimes I wonder if any of this is worth my time. When the world seems to be falling apart, when our environment is in crisis, and when a country's political structure is frail.

The Capitol siege that happened yesterday was a surprise to me. Never have I ever thought this would be possible. But it is. And it happened.

A few weeks ago, I started thinking about my financial freedom plan and whether if even five years is too much to be investing in this. Now, I'm beginning to wonder if any of this is really worth it at the end. What's the use of financially freedom if there's chaos and distrust in the country? Is it even possible to be financially free when there's no country to speak of?

I know I'm being very pessimistic. But yesterday's event showed that sometimes I can't be pessimistic enough. The downfall of United States is not a matter of if, it's a matter of when. Just like anything in the world, nothing is permanent. I sure hope that US doesn't break like the Roman Empire did and that there will be more unity among the American people and trust with our government. I can only hope. Democracy is the best thing the West has ever produced for mankind.

The stock market didn't seem to notice the siege during yesterday afternoon's closing hours. I'm wondering how it will react today and in the short term. I won't be surprised if it responds poorly or favorably because the stock market is irrational.

I made a plan recently to continue investing in the stock market rather than investing in real estate because of the ease of liquidity, the low maintenance of the investment, and hopefully the higher returns. I guess I'm still an optimist, believing that the stock market, the economy, and the US government will hold up and the future is better than the present. I hope my worries for my adopted country are short lived and the future is bright. There's much healing to be done.

So for now, I'll continue with my FIRE plan. I will always live a minimalistic lifestyle and try to do my best to live a fulfilling life. I need to remind myself that I'm the result of my choices and I can only control my thoughts, feelings, and actions.

I'm grateful today for what I have and don't have. I'm grateful for everything that has happened in my personal life. And I'm hopeful for the future, even only slightly.