Warning: The following contains interpretation. If you're looking for fair and balanced presentation of bare & unbiased facts, you're barking up the wrong stump.
Good luck finding that shit too.
We're born into an economy. We are catechized with the principles of monetary balance. We are heavily encouraged not to figure out who we are, but how we're going to contribute to the economy... not the greater good, but the economy.
Regardless of how you were raised, the economy eventually becomes your family. Regardless of your religious or spiritual persuasion, the economy eventually takes the place of God. Regardless of your core sociopolitical principles, the economy will dictate your vote. No matter what your talents, desires, conscientious formation or most deeply-held convictions, the economy will determine how you will live.
Think about that for a second. Something is in a position to override that which makes you human - your will. The older you get, the more your decisions will be dominated by economic realities.
What the hell is the economy anyway? Who the hell does this economy think it is? Why should we allow our lives to be controlled by this weird, incorporeal entity? We can't see it, hear it, get to know it... It's actually worse than the gods described by Dawkins or Hitchens (i.e. non-existent & controlled by cynical elitists). I mean, at least you can designate some sort of personality to your god of choice; can't do that with an economy (unless you paint Reagan's face on it or whatever).
Can we reclaim our lives?
I will either succeed in this endeavor or die trying. I will likely die poor in this pursuit, if current circumstances are any indication. Doesn't matter. Rather live in the pursuit of freedom and die poor, than live under the illusion of wealth... and then die anyway.
It's an uphill fight too. I mean, I started late with the whole "know thyself" thing. Identifying the sources of one's biases is not easy, even if you get on it from day 1. And it gets worse. The more you remove the layers of indoctrination from your consciousness, the more you find caked on there. But what can you do? Run out the clock buried in illusion, or die in the unfinished process of realization.
So I guess this economy thing is just one more layer. And it's a thick one too. It's really the most basic function of our society, the single biggest obstacle to our ability to trust and help each other. Can't live with it, can't eat without it.
The threefold choice here is as obvious as it is unfortunate: Accept poverty & live outside the tent, accept illusion and waste your life in the pursuit of wealth, or go nuts and try to burn the whole sorry mess down, Fight-Club style. Kinda bleak, no?
For me, the only acceptable choice of these is the first... and it really isn't acceptable. I mean really. How can I accept poverty as the only mode of living? Poverty sucks.
There are days when a legitimate life of crime looks way more inviting. Know what I mean? Wouldn't you rather be the master of a cohort of wage-slaves? That's the way: Own your business, and then pay people as little as legally possible to run it for you. You get the profits, they do the work. Pay them enough to keep them alive, but little enough to keep them desperate to come back the next day.
Gotta leave it there. Time to get ready for work.
More on this as I try to understand it.
Good luck finding that shit too.
We're born into an economy. We are catechized with the principles of monetary balance. We are heavily encouraged not to figure out who we are, but how we're going to contribute to the economy... not the greater good, but the economy.
Regardless of how you were raised, the economy eventually becomes your family. Regardless of your religious or spiritual persuasion, the economy eventually takes the place of God. Regardless of your core sociopolitical principles, the economy will dictate your vote. No matter what your talents, desires, conscientious formation or most deeply-held convictions, the economy will determine how you will live.
Think about that for a second. Something is in a position to override that which makes you human - your will. The older you get, the more your decisions will be dominated by economic realities.
What the hell is the economy anyway? Who the hell does this economy think it is? Why should we allow our lives to be controlled by this weird, incorporeal entity? We can't see it, hear it, get to know it... It's actually worse than the gods described by Dawkins or Hitchens (i.e. non-existent & controlled by cynical elitists). I mean, at least you can designate some sort of personality to your god of choice; can't do that with an economy (unless you paint Reagan's face on it or whatever).
Can we reclaim our lives?
I will either succeed in this endeavor or die trying. I will likely die poor in this pursuit, if current circumstances are any indication. Doesn't matter. Rather live in the pursuit of freedom and die poor, than live under the illusion of wealth... and then die anyway.
It's an uphill fight too. I mean, I started late with the whole "know thyself" thing. Identifying the sources of one's biases is not easy, even if you get on it from day 1. And it gets worse. The more you remove the layers of indoctrination from your consciousness, the more you find caked on there. But what can you do? Run out the clock buried in illusion, or die in the unfinished process of realization.
So I guess this economy thing is just one more layer. And it's a thick one too. It's really the most basic function of our society, the single biggest obstacle to our ability to trust and help each other. Can't live with it, can't eat without it.
The threefold choice here is as obvious as it is unfortunate: Accept poverty & live outside the tent, accept illusion and waste your life in the pursuit of wealth, or go nuts and try to burn the whole sorry mess down, Fight-Club style. Kinda bleak, no?
For me, the only acceptable choice of these is the first... and it really isn't acceptable. I mean really. How can I accept poverty as the only mode of living? Poverty sucks.
There are days when a legitimate life of crime looks way more inviting. Know what I mean? Wouldn't you rather be the master of a cohort of wage-slaves? That's the way: Own your business, and then pay people as little as legally possible to run it for you. You get the profits, they do the work. Pay them enough to keep them alive, but little enough to keep them desperate to come back the next day.
Gotta leave it there. Time to get ready for work.
More on this as I try to understand it.
Amen brotha! Did you get a chance to watch the vid I posted on your profile? Unless of course, you were motivated by the vid to write this rant.
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