“Do your homework and eat your vegetables!”
“Why?”
“Because, we want you to be healthy and smart!”
“Why?”
“Because, you need to make money and live a good life!”
“But why?”
“Because, you want to live a good life don’t you?”
“Yes?”
“So do your homework and eat your vegetables!”
“But that’s not a good life! I want to go outside and play!”
“No, no, that’s wrong - you need to do these things so you live a good life later on!”
“When’s that?”
“When you grow up you’ll know when.”
“Have you started?”
“Started what?”
“The good life!”
“Uh well… no, not yet. We’re still working hard, but I wouldn’t say we’re living a bad life. We have a house, a family, food…”
“So when would you say you’re living the good life?”
“I don’t know, but we’ll have enough soon!”
“So do I need to have things to live a good life?”
“Yes of course! You need food, clothes, money, a house, a bed - so many things!”
“And when you get those, you start the good life?”
“Well… no! Those are just the basics. It really depends on who you are when you grow up!”
“But I have a good life right now when I’m playing with my friends outside!”
“You can’t do that forever though.”
“True, I get tired. But when I come home after a long day of playing and I take a shower, I feel amazing! I’m living a great life right now!”
“Well - I’m glad to hear that, but you need to do certain things so you can keep living a good life.”
“So I can keep playing and taking showers?”
“No! You’ll eventually have to get a job so you can sustain yourself! We give you everything right now - food, clothes, shelter, education. But eventually, you will have to get those yourself! And you’ll find the good life again when you have enough.”
“What’s enough?”
“You’ll have to define that yourself.”
“Aha! I figured it out. When I grow up, I’m always going to have enough.”
“How so?”
“It’s simple! I just have to keep breathing! That will be my ‘enough’. And when I stop breathing, I won’t even be alive to live the bad life!”