Wage slavery and redeeming my freedom

Wage slavery refers to the condition that my dependence on monthly handouts from my company is "total and immediate." Frankly, sometimes I feel drained by the involuntary manner that I have to carry out my duties and the monotony of work; the modern society and civilization appears to afford personal freedom unmatched by any other period of human history yet I feel burdened and walks with heavy footsteps on my way home after each work day. I begin to accept that I am still a slave, just like those from any other periods in human history, albeit a finely clothed one who is able to afford smartphones, laptops etc but at the end of the day, cannot even enjoy a single prolonged period of time without work. Increasingly, I feel that the modern conveniences are actually trappings to put me in my place and deny me of any possibility to escape from the rat race.

Ever since starting my investment journey weeks ago, I have pondered if, through a combination of savings and steady investments during times when value opportunities present themselves, I am able to redeem my freedom, like the way a slave can redeem himself. Looking at the current dividend rate of 2.56% of my first investment, the iShares China ETF, I calculated that I might perhaps need US$1 million dollars to provide enough dividend income for my present annual expenditure, thereby reducing my "total and immediate" dependence on wages. Of course, if I am able to invest in higher dividend yield stocks, perhaps at 5% dividend rate, then I probably only require half a million dollars of invested capital.

On the other hand, I aim to continue with my simple lifestyle, and reduce unnecessary purchases and personal belongings. Some degree of freedom is achieved when my expenditure almost equals my income from stock dividends, and I can accomplish this by either reducing expenditure or increase invested capital. In any case, I feel pretty excited about the journey ahead and will try to update my experiences in this blog regularly. And finally, I would like to end off this post with a quote from Epictetus, who was born a slave and lived a life of great simplicity:

Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.