I Was Caught Between a Digital Nomad and an Office Rat Over Dinner. My Mind Opened.

It was a battle of nerves, wits, life preferences, and above all, values.

I love having interesting conversations over dinner.

The conversation with 2 friends — 1 digital nomad and 1 corporate rat — was by far the most entertaining back-and-forth I engaged in over Christmas 2023.

They fought over,

• Work,
• Freedom,
• Financial stability,
• What it means to be rich,
• And how our thinking shapes choices.

It was enjoyable to be caught in the crossfire of their debates.

Here’s why.

The intersection of the debates between pessimists, optimists, realists, and idealists… is where we find Truth.

Yes, Truth. With a capital T.

A Fiesty Reunion of Long-Time Friends

There are 3 of us.

• John — The corporate rat. Millionaire at 41. A corporate rat since graduation.
• Kenny — The digital nomad. Worked in 15 countries. Experience life first.
• Me — I work in a 9–6, run a small business, write online, and hustle.

3 friends, 3 life choices, 3 different perspectives.

And that made conversations fun [and fiery] right from the get-go.

We started with hi’s.

5 minutes later, we drew swords.

The Freedom Fighter Against the Cubicle Warrior

Round 1: We fought over the idea of freedom.

John is a happy cubicle warrior. He is not stuck at his desk for 10 hours a day. Maybe, 7. His job requires him to visit different sites.

“God, it is so tiring to commute. I just want to stay at my desk.”

I resonate. I am in sales. There are days when having my butt on the chair is simple bliss.

And that was the trigger that got Kenny started.

“Why is it tiring? Isn’t it fascinating to travel and see the world? When I get tired of one place, I move to the next café recommended online. Moving from the city to the countryside is amazing.”

It was a far stretch.

Commute is not [exactly] traveling.

John had his arms up. He defended.

“Don’t be silly. A 3-hour commute makes you more tired. Are you sure you have the mood to open your laptop to work at the next café? I doubt.”

It was a weird start to our catch-up.

John has my concurrence.

I am, by nature, not a travel guy. Traveling [& commuting] kills me. I never understood why people want to commute or travel non-stop.

Kenny did not go down without a fight.

“It beats murdering my butt in a cubicle. What do you see? The same cubicle for 8 hours. How boring is that? It says a lot about you, John. You are so lifeless.”

Hmm.

John responded coldly.

“Work comes first.”

“See The World? What Do You Actually See?”

Round 2: When how we enrich our lives becomes a contest.

As per round 1, Kenny fired the first salvo.

“I prefer to experience the world when I’m young. Look. What is the point of traveling with a walking stick? How stupid is that?”

Kenny was seated to the left of John. He jabbed John while speaking.

John was unmoved.

“You are right. It is stupid. That is a choice that people make.”

And this time, John followed with a counter punch.

“What is the point of seeing the world in cafes, indulging in different WiFi speeds? Aren’t you busy trying to make enough money to pay your Airbnb from 8 to 8? What life is that? An enriching one? Sounds broke to me.”

The line in the sand is drawn.

John knows about Kenny’s circumstances better than I do. I remained silent.

We went from seeing the world to the topic of money.

Kenny is silent, too.

I smiled.

Who is Richer? The Young One with a Million Photos? Or The Old One with a Million Dollars?

Round 3: A million photos? A million dollars? What is your pick?

This is the round that I said near nothing.

I was immersed in their fight of the night.

It opened my eyes. Really. And it made me realize one thing.

There is no one correct answer.

Only life preferences.

Kenny showed us photos of the countries, places of interest, and cafes he worked in. He was beaming with pride.

I was impressed.

Kenny is 37 this year. Only a 60+ person can trash him in terms of overseas footprint.

John was impressed, too.

“You are a man of a million stories.”

This time, Kenny made a strange rebuttal.

“This is nothing compared to you. You are the man with a million dollars. I only have a million photos.”

I laughed.

I asked Kenny this.

“Do you want to become a millionaire in the cubicle? Or a guy with freedom?”

He gave me a fast response.

“Freedom over money anytime. What is the point of getting rich and dying in the cubicle? The world is our oyster, not the office. Why make the doctor rich when we age? What is the point of having a million dollars with no life?”

Kenny stabbed John with his dagger eyes.

John caught the animosity. He rebutted immediately.

“Kenny, Kenny. Take a chill pill. Remember what happened 3 months ago? You borrowed 3 thousand dollars from me for a root canal treatment.”

John was close to calling Kenny a broke rat. I can tell.

“John, I borrowed. You did not give it to me for free. I will return. But I will never surrender my freedom for money.”

This conversation intensified.

“Relax. Life is impossible without money. You don’t even have money to pay the dentist. Let me ask you. How many projects you must take on to pay me back? How many hours is that? You know it is not easy, right?”

An awkward silence broke out.

John pushed on.

“My dental expenses are covered by my company insurance. I am not against your life preference, but you need to know that there are alternatives.”

Unfortunately, the conversation turned sour.

John ended with this.

“Grow up, man. You’re 37. Just f**king grow up.”

Kenny got upset.

He made his retort.

“Life is not just about money.”

John pushed back.

“No money, no life.”

Wow.

Dead end.

The Close

I was quiet 90% of the time.

John and Kenny fought over orientations in life and values. I am not surprised. We are different individuals, after all.

But that final question of impasse is a killer.

Money matters? Or is it about experiencing life?

I don’t know.

It is an unfair question because we need both.

• There is no point traveling around the world to come home broke.
• There is no point working my life away in my favorite cubicle, too.

It is a life choice.

Ask yourself this question if you must choose.

Which option gives you more comfort 10 years down the road?

Like this story? Hit Subscribe!

Oh, oh, you can buy me a cup of black too! Thank you!