While I love all kinds of music, except heavy metal or 1980s New Wave and pop rock, I know little about country music.
I know that George Strait is a country music great, although I couldn’t name a song.
I recently heard one of his lyrics that sums up my approach to life, my passion for fighting injustice, and how I parented my now young adult children:
I ain't never seen a hearse with a luggage rack luggage rack.
Meaning, we don’t get to take our money, talents, resources or gifts with us when we die.
That’s why I get courtside season tickets to the NBA’s Denver Nuggets every year. Why I travel to six countries a year, buy nice clothes, and try a fancy new restaurant the second it opens.
When I bought my dream car a few years ago, my kids were excited but surprised. I reminded them that I wasn’t saving up for my death.
“Guess who’s going to pay your mortgage when you get a house someday,” I half-jokingly asked them.
You!
I always taught them to invest. They’ve owned stocks since age 13.
But I also wanted to teach them to value the now, too.
Not necessarily for cars or clothing, although they could get those if their jobs and means allow it.
I was teaching them something more fundamental that gets lost on too many people — to live life now.
My kids know that when a worthy organization or charity asks me for a donation, I seldom refuse unless I don’t believe in what they’re doing.
My attitude was always that I could earn more money later. But these organizations that help improve our world or assist people need the money now.
Any amount we donate matters. I had my kids donate their own money — $5, $15 or $20 — whenever someone gifted them $100 for a birthday or graduation.
Use your money for good now. No matter what your economic situation is.
It’s also why I tried to teach my kids that we shouldn’t sit on our hands while people suffer. We ought not wait for someone else to solve everything.
To help others now. To be generous with our resources.
Whether it’s giving food to people experiencing homelessness. Buying gift cards for your favorite coffee shop’s baristas during the holidays. Dropping off snacks for the valet drivers at a concert or sporting event. Or lending money to a close friend who lost his job.
It’s even why I frequently treated friends to dinner even in college, even when I was working three jobs to pay my own expenses.
Or, on a grander level, living now also means doing our part to fix some of society’s ills.
Unless we’re intentionally ignorant, we Americans all know darn well that Black Americans and others don’t have the same rights, opportunities and experiences in America as the rest of us.
We know it’s not fair to far too many.
Yet we wait. We do nothing.
We spend more time on our retirement accounts to see what life will look like at age 80.
What can we do now?
We could take time in our social circles to make a difference. Talk with friends about changing how we interact in this world. Evaluate who we let into our after–5:00 p.m. spaces and how we might expand those circles to include people different than us.
We could join organizations that uplift people or fight injustice. Be intentional about the businesses we support and the professionals we use. Are we only engaging people who look like us?
If we’re in positions of power, we can ask our employers to undertake effective training at our workplaces or bring in a speaker to discuss these important issues.
If we own a company, we can ask if our own hiring practices are ethical. And we can bring in experts to train our leadership teams on inclusivity.
None of this suggests that everything is about today. I’m not advocating zero planning for the future. Or to not invest your money, or use a 401(k) and plan for old age. I’m not even suggesting we don’t build some wealth to pass on.
Or that we only go go go. And never sleep in.
We certainly don’t want to burn out.
Plus, we obviously have obligations. Kids. Bills. Student loans.
None of us should put our lives in financial jeopardy.
Yet as I still mourn the loss of my beloved 78 year-old mother this past December, I’m reminded that time isn’t guaranteed.
We ought to enjoy life to the fullest within our means now. Try that restaurant. Travel. Take a chance on a dating app. Get that car you always wanted.
And on a far deeper level, stop waiting to change the world. People who confront injustice and hatred need you, your resources and your talents now.
This post originally appeared on Medium and is edited and republished with author's permission. Read more of Jeffrey Kass' work on Medium.