Duct Tape & Barbed Wire
reflections on the fragility of life and focusing more on what matters most
Duct Tape and Barbed Wire in Context
In a text message with my two bosses, I answered their inquiry as to how I was doing:
“I’m held together by duct tape and barbed wire.”
Six weeks ago, after a series of tests including a nuclear stress test, the doctor said they identified more blockage in my arteries and ordered a heart cath to explore the issue and correct it, if necessary. They explored me five days ago. Despite two stents placed in my Lower Anterior Artery (LAD, aka, Widow-Maker) on July 5, 2022, a day after my heart attack, they found 80% blockage in the same artery between the two stents. He put in two more, and I can’t help but feel it is like putting duct tape on a gas line. But what do I know?
Heart Specialists Everywhere!
I know this: everyone is a heart specialist because everyone knows someone who had so-and-so done and they said, “Blah, blah, blah.” Everyone knows what you should do, how you should eat, and exactly how you ought to be getting along.
But, of course, they don’t actually know shit, or they would be making heart doctor money instead of running a Racetrac cash register.
And now I have gone and cussed and ruined this whole thing because I meant for it to be a sort of mini-sermon on the fragility of life, and how we are each hanging by a spider web thread, which is stronger and more resilient than it looks, as you know if you have done any Spring cleaning, but can still be snapped by the smallest child.
But I am a Preacher, so…
I meant to bring up Jesus’s story of the rich fool and point out some things about what matters and what doesn’t, given life’s brevity and eternity’s, well, eternality.
Here’s the story:
Then He told them a parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced an abundance. 17So he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and will build bigger ones, and there I will store up all my grain and my goods. 19Then I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry!”’
20But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’
21This is how it will be for anyone who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God.” –Luke 12:16-21
Think about the things that we spend the most time, energy, and planning for—a house, cars, bank account, retirement, social status (likes, follows, followers, etc.). The things that matter most to us now will have zero value when the thread snaps and we are hurled into eternity.
The Banks (pun intended) of the River Jordan
What will matter then is how you prepare yourself for that eventuality, or, I should say, inevitability of death. That is what will matter to you.
What will matter to the world when it finds itself without you? What will matter to those who matter most to you when they find themselves mourning your loss?
Oh, your material wealth will matter to them. They may even fight over it. But what you put in them will be of far greater value than what you left to them.
Before you dismiss yourself as less than an influencer, think about the way ancestry works. Since I am not a mathematician and have no interest in doing the math, I asked ChatGPT to assess the number of ancestors going back 10 generations:
Following is the answer…
How many direct ancestors?
Each generation back, the number of direct ancestors doubles:
Generation 1 (parents): 2
Generation 2 (grandparents): 4
Generation 3: 8
Generation 4: 16
...
Generation 10: 1,024
To find the total number of direct ancestors in 10 generations, add them up:
21+22+23+⋯+210=211−2=2048−2=2,0462^1 + 2^2 + 2^3 + \dots + 2^{10} = 2^{11} - 2 = 2048 - 2 = \boxed{2,046}21+22+23+⋯+210=211−2=2048−2=2,046
So:
👉 You have 2,046 direct ancestors in the first 10 generations.
⏳ How many years ago is that?
Assuming 25 years per generation:
10×25=250 years ago10 \times 25 = \boxed{250 \text{ years ago}}10×25=250 years ago
So:
👉 About 250 years ago, or around the mid-1700s, you had more than 2,000 direct ancestors, theoretically.
I asked for calculations for myself going forward, remembering I have three daughters, four grandsons, and none of my daughters will have more children at this point. I am on the low end compared to most of my friends and acquaintances. Still, I am predicted to produce 60–65 descendants in just five generations.
That makes me a genetic influencer well beyond my allotted time. What expands that influence is how my wisdom (or folly) and investment in others spread to people I will never meet and may become viral for generations.
I Bet You a Million Bucks…
Conversely, let’s say I'm all about becoming a millionaire. If I can achieve that, my life will be satisfying, and my legacy will be settled.
Not according to my chat with ChatGPT:
My question: In America, if a person is worth $1 million at death, how many generations will benefit from that? What is the likelihood that it grows or shrinks?
Chat GPT:
🔢 Short Answer:
If someone dies with $1 million in the U.S.:
It will usually meaningfully benefit only 1–2 generations.
Without careful planning, the money will likely shrink or disappear within 2–3 generations.
With smart investing, disciplined heirs, and good planning, it can grow and benefit multiple generations — but this is the exception, not the rule.
📉 The Rule of 90%: “Shirtsleeves to Shirtsleeves in 3 Generations”
There's a well-known adage in wealth management:
"The first generation builds it, the second spends it, the third blows it."
And statistics back this up:
70% of wealthy families lose their wealth by the second generation
90% lose it by the third
💵 How Far Does $1 Million Go?
Let’s break it down.
💔 Scenario 1: Split among Heirs
Say you leave $1 million to your 3 children:
Each gets ~$333,000
After taxes (depending on structure), fees, spending? Maybe $250,000 net
That’s a nice head start — pay off a house, fund college — but it won’t create lasting wealth
🔁 Scenario 2: Trust or Investment Fund
If well-invested at 5–7% annual return, and only returns are used (not principal):
$1 million can generate $40k–70k/year
Used wisely (scholarships, medical help, seed capital), it could last indefinitely
But most heirs don’t treat inheritance like a business. They treat it like a windfall.
🧠 Behavioral Factors
The outcome depends more on mindset and education than math.
💡 Families where wealth grows tend to:
Pass on financial literacy, not just money
Have family governance: trusts, vision statements, long-term planning
Focus on purpose, not just consumption
🛑 Families where wealth disappears tend to:
Avoid talking about money
View inheritance as personal money, not legacy capital
Make big purchases: houses, cars, lifestyles that can’t be sustained
🔮 Odds of Growth vs Shrinkage
Outcome Likelihood Shrinks or disappears
🔴 High (~70–90%)Stays stable over 3+ generations
🟡 Low (~10–20%)Grows significantly
🟢 Rare (~5–10%), requires active stewardship
🧭 So What’s the Takeaway?
$1 million is a powerful seed, but not a magic tree.
To benefit future generations:
Treat it as legacy capital, not lottery winnings
Set up trusts or foundations with clear rules
Invest wisely, spend frugally
Pass on wisdom, not just wealth
As one financial advisor says:
"If you don’t teach your kids how to handle $100, they won’t know what to do with $1 million."
Legacy and Cigarettes
Your chances in eternity are impacted solely by your relationship with God.
Your legacy here hinges more on what you scatter than what you gather, on what you plant, water, and tend than what you harvest.
This is the sermon I have preached to myself over the past five days, knowing the thread could have snapped for me.
And here is a poem I plan to include in my new poetry book. It will serve as the conclusion to this little sermonette before you go and smoke your cigarette and determine to forget the whole thing.
Remains
When I die, Come to where I lie And write these words Upon the stone, I neither came Nor left alone. They'll say that I am gone But these are not my remains. You are! So, carry on. Remain Faithful and true And I shall Remain Right there With you. Gospel of John 11:26—Jesus said to [Martha], “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies. 26And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
They would be making heart doctor money instead of running a Racetrac cash register. LOL. Great point and great article, Gene.