thoughtnot

Recently it hit the news that the very first Superman comic book, Action Comics No. 1 (1938), sold for a record-setting $1 Million. At least, that was the record — for less than a week. Four days later, the first Batman comic (1939) sold for $1,075,000. 

Comics are neat, and they bring a certain feeling of nostalgia when you pick up a really old issue and reflect on them from the perspective of the time in which they were created. But honestly… a million bucks?! For something that you probably won’t let people even touch?

They say a fool and his money are soon parted. And perhaps this is the case, or perhaps this is a sound ”investment” that will pay double dividends in a few years. But for now, all I can think of is, wow… this person could have REALLY made a difference in someone’s life (or the lives of many) with that kind of money. And aside from the usual “what would you do with a million bucks” question, or the requisite “we could feed 1000 homeless people with that” angle, I’m thinking… how much of would it take for me (and my family) to be really “comfortable” in this life? And I’ve come up with some numbers…

First, my “low number”. I don’t want to state specific figures here, but I’ve done the math, and calculate that the magic number to really make a big impact in my life is $60,000. What would $60k do for me? It would pay off my debts, buy me a (modern) used truck, pretty much finish off my basement, and allow for me put away a decent “rainy day” fund. In accomplishing those things, we would then be able to pour more of our income into our savings and retirement, pay down our house faster, and contribute more to our church and other organizations. It might even allow for a family vacation!

Now, my “high number”. This is sort of like a “if I won the lottery” thing, but on the upside I’m just considering the minimum of what it would take to lead a “comfortable life” with many of the things I’d love to have – not what it would require for me to quit my job or spend weekends in Bora Bora. For this, I calculated that the number is $525,000. For this amount, we could be totally debt free. We could have a nice home (paid off) with some land and a barn. I could have a nice horse and trailer, and a new truck to pull it with. Emily could have a new van, and there would be enough left to put some cash into college funds for each of the kids and set up a “rainy day” fund. I would still work, of course, but with my regular income we could take vacations and contribute more as noted above, instead of paying it toward interest. Eventually I would like to then set up a Christian non-profit foundation with the mission to help young couples get out (and stay out) of debt and accomplish their goals. All of that for just half of what two seperate people spent on a comic book.

Isn’t it crazy to consider how sizeable a change could be made in someone’s lifestyle for less than 1/10th of what someone else paid for a comic book? That my life, or the lives of others, could have been changed drastically, instead of the money sitting in a dark vault in the form of colored paper that could easily lose its entire value with one spill? What does it say about our society that it is OK to spend $1M on a comic instead of helping out others?

Granted, I’m by no means homeless and I’m not saying those folks shouldn’t be helped. In fact, some people DO choose to go that route (see this article). And of course, I have everything that I “need” in this world in terms of my family and what the good Lord has given me the strength to accomplish. So again, this is just a “what would it take…” or “what would I do…” exercise. Notice I’m not wanting or desiring MORE than just enough to remove some of the worries. =)

How much would it take for you? Would you pay a million bucks for a comic book? If you had $525,000 (or even $60,000) sitting around to spend, would you use it to buy something like a comic book, or would you consider giving to someone in order to make a difference in their world? =)