Inflation in The Afterlife
Inflation in The Afterlife
As an analyst, my days are filled with spreadsheets and data, a routine that ticks away relentlessly across 52 weeks of the year. But once annually, I step into a different role – The Fed… of the afterlife.
Or so my late-grandpa used to tell me. Every year I would gather around with my family, and we would celebrate Chinese New Year together. Aside from our family secret soup recipe (which I annually make, after the passing of my grandma), we also did some other things including “printing money”.
We would fold this yellowish broken white paper with silver rectangles in a certain way that it resembled a “boat” or “gold”. After hours of folding, we would then pray and burn these money, to “send it to heaven” for Mak Cho and Kong Cho, as he used to say. Now that he passed away, we are sending it to him and my grandma as well.
My grandpa, an enthusiast in economics used to pass down his vast knowledge in economics in the simplest way for young-Aryo to understand. One in particular that I remember on top of my head was:
“at times when life is hard, and there is war and crisis, hold into gold. You see, this paper money? You can rip it, this stock paper? You can rip it. But this gold? Stays.”
Surely an oversimplification of the complex economy, but his love for economics and business actually makes me interested in pursuing this career as well. His vast understanding about economics never cease to amaze me.
This used to be adult work; they would talk about business, economy, educations, Perkutut bird and Lo Han fish (yes, this was around two decades ago) while their hands would elegantly fold the papers, turning it into the desired shape. The kids? We would try to make some before giving up after 3 “monies” because it took us 5 minute to make one, with the “acceptance rate” of < 30% by the Chair of The Fed (read: my grandpa).
Now that I am an adult, with a printing prowess of 20 seconds per “money” and an acceptance rate of 95%, I’ve earned my place at the table alongside my brother and cousins. And with this newfound status comes the opportunity to contribute to our familial discussions—a privilege that prompts today’s question of the day:
“Wouldn’t Engkong appreciate receiving his ‘money’ stash 4-6 months ahead of Chinese New Year? If every family floods ‘heaven’ with these offerings simultaneously, wouldn’t it trigger some serious afterlife inflation? Perhaps next year, we should dispatch them earlier, allowing Engkong to dabble in the ALSX (After Life Stock Exchange) and rake in even more celestial riches!”
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As an analyst, my days are filled with spreadsheets and data, a routine that ticks away relentlessly across 52 weeks of the year. But once annually, I step into a different role – The Fed… of the afterlife.
Or so my late-grandpa used to tell me. Every year I would gather around with my family, and we would celebrate Chinese New Year together. Aside from our family secret soup recipe (which I annually make, after the passing of my grandma), we also did some other things including “printing money”.
We would fold this yellowish broken white paper with silver rectangles in a certain way that it resembled a “boat” or “gold”. After hours of folding, we would then pray and burn these money, to “send it to heaven” for Mak Cho and Kong Cho, as he used to say. Now that he passed away, we are sending it to him and my grandma as well.
My grandpa, an enthusiast in economics used to pass down his vast knowledge in economics in the simplest way for young-Aryo to understand. One in particular that I remember on top of my head was:
“at times when life is hard, and there is war and crisis, hold into gold. You see, this paper money? You can rip it, this stock paper? You can rip it. But this gold? Stays.”
Surely an oversimplification of the complex economy, but his love for economics and business actually makes me interested in pursuing this career as well. His vast understanding about economics never cease to amaze me.
This used to be adult work; they would talk about business, economy, educations, Perkutut bird and Lo Han fish (yes, this was around two decades ago) while their hands would elegantly fold the papers, turning it into the desired shape. The kids? We would try to make some before giving up after 3 “monies” because it took us 5 minute to make one, with the “acceptance rate” of < 30% by the Chair of The Fed (read: my grandpa).
Now that I am an adult, with a printing prowess of 20 seconds per “money” and an acceptance rate of 95%, I’ve earned my place at the table alongside my brother and cousins. And with this newfound status comes the opportunity to contribute to our familial discussions—a privilege that prompts today’s question of the day:
“Wouldn’t Engkong appreciate receiving his ‘money’ stash 4-6 months ahead of Chinese New Year? If every family floods ‘heaven’ with these offerings simultaneously, wouldn’t it trigger some serious afterlife inflation? Perhaps next year, we should dispatch them earlier, allowing Engkong to dabble in the ALSX (After Life Stock Exchange) and rake in even more celestial riches!”
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