Time; the forgotten asset.

Above all, time is our most valuable asset.
It's gifted upon birth and removed when struck with death.
One aspect of achieving happiness is lengthening our time.

But do we still value it?

A full stomach allows us more time until starvation. A modest income allows us more time until an eviction notice and a productive yet low workload allows us more time until the next workday.

So how would people live if they ingrained this mindset to daily living? And who would be considered wealthy?

Is the banker with a salary of $500,000 and zero time wealthier than the traveler who spends a year abroad on$20,000?
When person A purchases a large house through a bank on a 30-year mortgage plan, is he richer than person B who can pay off her house in 10 years?

In hindsight, person A has agreed to sacrifice 30 years of time to buy something which fulfills the same purpose person B has bought.

In a world where wealth is measured as time, would culture diminish?

Let's imagine.

Person A who has tens of thousands of dollars in consumer debt to buy fancy clothes and jewelry would be considered poor, as they must give countless hours of labor to pay for those items. Whereas person B, who wears cheap, modest clothing would have zero time owing to cover her costs.

Person A who has a sports car worth $100,000 on a finance loan would be technically poorer than person B who has a sedan worth$5,000 due to the amount of time person A must sacrifice in order to pay off the debt.

A roof has a purpose of keeping you dry, food has a purpose of keeping you fed and clothing has a purpose of keeping you warm. Therefore, why should one spend their entire lives sacrificing time for something that does the same purpose for 1/4 of the time needed?

Why start a family if you're never around to raise children? Why commit to a relationship if you're never available when your spouse requires you? And why buy a fancy house if you're never there to relax in it?

If we measured wealth in time, would a part-time job doing something you love be considered a success?

If money - when handled correctly - can buy time, why does man use it to borrow more of it to sacrifice more time?
 
Why does one sacrifice their entire capacity of time in order to impress others? 

Culture today has made the idea of working 100 hours a week motivating. How is this so? Who in their right mind gets excited about the idea of sacrificing 14 hours a day in order to get back one hour to enjoy before sleep?

The Oxford dictionary defines wealth as follows.

"An abundance of valuable possessions or money. The state of being rich; material prosperity. Plentiful supplies of a particular resource. Well-being."

The origin of the word wealth is below.

Middle English welthe, from well or weal, on the pattern of health.

But again, why have good health if you don't have time to play with your children? Or the time to make the lives of those you love enjoyable? Surely living a healthy yet lonely, time restricting life can't be fulfilling?

All the money in the world won't buy you time.

Alexander the Great spoke the following words on his deathbed many of us understand yet fail to live by.

"People should realize that no doctor can really cure my body. They are powerless and cannot save a person from the clutches of death. So, let not people take life for granted. The riches on the way to the graveyard is to tell people that not even a fraction of gold will come with me.

I spent all my life earning riches but cannot take anything with me. Let people realize that it is a sheer waste of time to chase wealth.

And, about my third wish of having my hands dangling out of the coffin, I wish people to know that I came empty handed into this world and empty handed I go out of this world."

In conclusion, is the one who can fend off all time restricting chores in life the wealthiest? Since they are rich with time to pursue a good life with those they love. 

Or is wealth still measured solely by how many green pieces of paper one has?