One of my favorite things about our family is the way conversations never stay small. A simple question over coffee can spiral into debates about money, morality, or whatever headline happens to be buzzing that day. This morning it began with one: what would you do with a million dollars if you had to spend it in a single day?
The answers were practical, generous, and occasionally absurd. Some of us would funnel money to friends and family. Others thought about starting a business. There was also a plan to buy gold, then flip it back into cash once the 24 hours were up. That loophole sparked the bigger conversation.
We ended up on Bitcoin. We talked about how it works, the energy it devours, and the neighborhoods where mining rigs keep people awake at night. Then we asked the harder question. If you had bought in early, would you be partly responsible for the damage?
Because of course, we would turn a fun thought experiment into a philosophy seminar. For use, learning is ongoing, not just during “school”.
The answer wasn’t simple. We agreed that chasing absolute moral purity is a dead end. History is full of people who tried, and it usually ended badly. The crusades come to mind. So does any movement that can’t laugh at itself. But pretending our choices have no consequences isn’t the answer either. That tension is where the real work happens, uncomfortable as it is.
This is what I love about our family. We don’t argue to win. We poke at ideas until they give way or take on a new shape. It’s not everyone’s idea of small talk, but it works for us.
I still don’t know if anyone had the right answer to the million-dollar challenge. I do know this: the best investment I’ve ever made is in the conversations we keep having, even before breakfast.