Freedom in the bank or freedom from the bank?

Thursday, February 13, 2025

I recently retired from full-time teaching and I love it. Retire basically means to draw back to a place of safety or seclusion. The Buddha’s teachings might be summed up in this nugget – to retire from suffering, but not to withdraw from life.

In a recent conversation with a dear friend, she said, “I’m so tired of worrying about money.” Sounds like she’s ready for retirement. She’s on the brink of freedom; however, most of us think that the freedom of worry about money is a fixed amount of money. How much is it? Billionaires worry about money. So does this mean my friend stops using money or renounces it altogether? Not at all. It means she is tired of money using her. She’s tired of the dictator in the bank account, as I call it. She’s tired of the enslavement. But if freedom is in the bank, you’re not free. It’s freedom from the bank that we seek.

Retirement means space to sit and listen to your heart. It means spending time petting the dog. It means letting Life call the shots while you sit on the back deck and do shots – if you want. Real life is calling – bicycling, creative endeavors, walking, leisure, and spending time with those you love. The money dictator is a driving slave master. But The Master is something much different. Some will understand. Others will continue to worry about the dictator in the bank, while the rest of us have stepped outside of the bank lobby and have seen the Sun. If you can put a price on it, it’s not free. But if you’re close to retirement, you’ve tired of the bank dictator. If you’re ready, retirement won’t scare you. The freedom outside of the bank lobby is oh, so sweet. But remember, it has no price tag. You’re always free to retire, anytime.