Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Money

**I know nothing I'm saying here is revolutionary but I needed to say it nonetheless.**

We're told throughout our lives that money is the true measure of a life. Not in so many words but it is implied. Where you live, where you work, what you drive, what you wear, with whom you associate are all indicators of a successful human being. Or not so much if you do it "wrong." What you believe, how you treat others, the values you hold dear matter not at all if you don't have money. If the prosperity Christians are to be believed, even Jesus believes in amassing wealth.

I hate money. I hate what people become when they amass too much. I hate what it does to people who can't get enough to get by in our consumer culture. Mostly I HATE it because there is no longer any way to survive in this modern world without it. And those with the most money take great pleasure in reminding the rest of us just how little we have. Oh, you can live off the grid and spend as little as possible. But you can never get away from it completely.

Money buys power and power controls the money. Money poisons our air and water. It fills our food with chemicals; unnatural configurations of which we're only beginning to discover the dangers. All the while it deregulates any safety protocols that could protect us from the dangers. Money poisons our minds, pitting the poor and middle class against each other while the rich sit back, control the narrative, and get more rich. It teaches us that to be poor is to be less than human, not deserving of the most basic human rights. Don't have enough money? Get a better job. Can't get a better job? Get another job. It doesn't matter that the one job should pay enough for shelter, food, clothing, and transportation to said job. If you ask for (or demand) fair wages, you're ungrateful and a liability. If you ask for help, you're a taker and a drain on the economy. If you're willing to help others, you're an enabler. Money tells you who to hate and who to love.

Most problems of modern man can trace back to money or the lack thereof. I saw this clearly in every history class I ever took. America was built on the rich getting richer by using (or eliminating) anyone who stood in their way. Ask the Irish Americans. Ask the African Americans. Ask the Native Americans. Ask the Asian Americans. Ask women. Ask anyone who isn't a rich white male. We're simply tools they use to amass more wealth.

I don't want to measure my self-worth by the size of my paycheck. I don't want to be judged by the fact that I drive a Toyota instead of a BMW. I want to feel good about myself because I care about others and not what they can give me. I want the people I care about to know they are worthy of respect regardless of job title, bank account, or credit rating. I want everyone to have the same opportunities for self-improvement regardless of where and to whom they were born. I want children to never go hungry. I want all families to be able to spend time together. I want good health to be a right and not a privilege of the wealthy. I want what we'll never have: true equality.