Energy > time > money (part 1 of 5)
a theory on identifying our most precious resource
This is part 1 of a 5 part series published each day this week (w/c February 3rd 2025). You can read entries 2 - 5 via the links at the bottom of this article.
If you were brought up in western society it’s likely that the hierarchy of precious human resources was explained to you like this:
Money
For the luckier ones, the list may look like this:
Money
Time
And for the luckiest of all, this:
Money
Time
Energy
“All you need to be happy in this life is money. Money makes you rich. Money makes you successful. Money. Buys. Happiness."
Money is absolutely important (that’s why it’s on this list). But there is a shift taking place. Particularly, as I read it, amongst younger generations. That shift is away from money being our societal ‘north star’, and towards time.
Why is this? Is it because the distribution, nature and value of money has and continues to change with each coming generation? And has that created a shift in our perception that time is, perhaps, the only real social leveller we have left? We all have the same amount of it to spend in the present moment; you can’t inflate or deflate time; you can’t put it away for the future in the hope that it grows into something bigger (although you can do that with your mind, which you can read about here).
Time is increasingly spoken of as the true measure of wealth. And free time the true measure of success.
I respectfully disagree.
I don’t believe that money is our most precious resource.
I also don’t believe that time is our most precious resource.
Instead, I believe this: energy is our most precious resource.
You’re always welcome here.
JR
