5.23.2009

Money Ain't Everything

It's Saturday, and I've been thinking. My thoughts have been ranging far and wide this morning, but one thought stood out from all the rest:

The best things in life are free.

Perhaps it's because I've never been a money magnet that this one statement rang out, loud and clear, from the recesses of my racing thoughts. I don't like money. I don't like the concept of money. I don't believe money is value. Money certainly isn't fulfilling! I only "need" money because someone else wants it!

You always get what you need.

The truth of this statement is one of those things that smacks you good when you realize it. Where there is money, "need" takes on a whole different meaning. Subtract money from the equation, and what is truly a "need" becomes clear. Think about the homeless person on the street. The basic needs of food, clothing and shelter are met, albeit differently, otherwise that person wouldn't still be there day after day. As long as you are alive, you can live because you always get what you need. So, stop worrying about money!

In it, but not of it.

Money is depressing. I hate it. I hate it when I have it and hate it when I don't. That's proof enough to me that money doesn't mean crap to the Grand Scheme of Things. OK, so I'm weird. I'm not busting my arse in the pursuit of money, yet I'm still here, alive and well. I walk along side those with no money just the same as I walk along side those with gazillions.

What's the difference?

For me, there is no difference. I yam who I yam.

There are those that will beg, borrow and steal to have money. That's all they think about. When they get money, they never have it for very long. They are hollow.

There are those that have money that try to pretend that they don't. That's all they think about. They have it, yet they are hollow too because they can only relate to others wearing the same facade. It's a source of fear. They have money and are terrified by the thought of not having it.

There are those with money running around flaunting jewels and Mercedes dictating how what they 'donate' helps the 'needy.' When their rose colored glasses become smudged, they just throw them out and buy a new pair. They wonder why there is never any satisfaction in giving. Surely that single mother with three babies would be so much better off with a crystal bowl!

Then there are those that do or don't have money, and you can't tell. What they have or don't have doesn't define who they are. They see the world beyond surface value and appearances.

I sit on the outside looking in and wonder.

Can someone with money choose to leave it behind? Can success be separated from a bank account balance? Can value be appraised without a dollar amount as the scale? Would worth be worthless without money?

What good is a Stradivarius if no one knows how to play it? Does that Rembrandt or Monet look better sitting in a vault? Will that Jaguar change getting from point A to point B? Would that luxurious fur coat offer more warmth than a parka? Is a mansion any more a home than a trailer? Does the actor act better seen on a big, flat screen TV? Do words written in gold mean more than the words written in pencil?

Life is free.

From the outside looking in I continue to sit. I can play a Stradivarius, I can drive, I can keep warm, I can come home, and I can write. I can love, I can laugh, I can create, I can give, I can cry and I've done so all of my life.

Without money.

8 comments:

  1. Life has never been about money for me. I never cared about what a man did for a living, so long as he "worked". A working man is a good man in my book. I've always made a fair amount of money myself, so most needs are met.

    Unfortunately, my husband sees things differently. When he wants to buy something, it is always the biggest most expensive thing. He is far too attached to "things"

    Now we find ourselves in a position of "needing" money, and having to sell some of those precious "things". I could care less about them, if it keeps the family on top, but I see what it's doing to him and my son...and now it makes me sick.

    I'm with you on money.

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  2. Hi Grandy, thanks for stopping in! Oh yes, a good man is a working man. I've known far too many who worked only when they felt like it.

    Hmm, I wonder if your husband's attachment to "things" will ease without a full-blown crash? Meaning, I hope it doesn't take losing everything before he distances himself from the trap of attachments.

    Keep your head up! My fingers are crossed that it won't last long...

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  3. I'm attached to my computer and I'm taking it with me when I die so I can communicate from the other side :) other than that I'm only attached to a few humans and my 2 dogs and money means crap, but it's nice to have enough to get by.

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  4. I'm with you! I will take my laptop to my grave with me. I'd like to make enough to get by, and I'm working on it. It's just slow going... ;-)

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  5. Hi Theresa; Thank you for your kind thoughts and words. I came back to check in on your comments, and hope for the same. ;)

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  6. Maybe that's why the economy crashes every 75 years - to give us all time to reevaluate and reprioritize what is really important. The withdrawal sucks, for sure, but the end result is worth it...

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  7. Theresa, I really enoyed this post. You made a lot of really good points.

    I couldnt agree more. reminds me of when I tried to explain to a friend thats very in love with money that her horses would kick and shit in her $40,000 horse trailer. How absurd I thought a price to pay for a glorified stock hauler.

    Most of the ludicrus things in life are nothing more than shrines to certain type peoples egos. Like that Church on I-40! Wow is that an example!

    I wish more of those ultra materialistic people realised that so many of us are NOT impressed with anything except how shallow they are, and their stupidity.

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  8. Every time I pass that church, I think, "I wonder how many families could eat on the money that built that monstrosity, and for how long?" If that is Christian values, I want no part of it!

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