Bankrupt

The economic affairs of the world are in such agitation, nobody knows the dilemmas or misfortunes perched just over the next horizon. We grew up believing in the idea of saving money as the most prudent, shrewd device to economic salvation. As it turns out, we were misled, perhaps not out of spite or malice, but simply near sighted vision. 

The American dream was always to own a car and a home, and maybe have enough left for vacations and college tuitions. The house, the car, the vacation all became the accepted norm. It became completely understood, every person from even the most humble financial situations, were deserving of everything. We fell victim to the idea if we have a mortgage, we own a home. What we actually own is a thirty year loan and the opportunity to make a loan company a lot of money. We became addicted to the idea of credit. A way to get now what we cannot afford, an invisible transaction for our immediate gratification. Just another of the deadly sins we fell prey to without a fight. Avarice became a word help potential esteem. Greed became good.

We became a society asking “What do you do?” when we met someone. Not to get to know them, but intent to judge where they might stand in the convoluted scheme of economic relationships. The size of your credit balance became more impressive than the size of your schlong. Your car payment was more important than your I.Q. A gold card was replaced by a platinum card, in turn replaced by an onyx card. All the while we grew more distant from each other, common only in our mistrust and apprehension.

Money has become the standard people use to measure self worth. Tragically, our money for the most part, people are working jobs they hate to buy shit they don’t need. We have become drones to the consumer lifestyle. Newer this, shinier that, faster, better, blah blah blah. Put a gun to the temple and pull back the hammer. The things we own, have become the executioner of our lives.

There is a world inside the world. In this spiritual setting the tangible, yet immeasurable interconnections are made. We do not buy in our real world, we do not lend on credit, we don’t make layaway arrangements. What we give and take is the currency of self. Our friends have infinite value, time spent among them is greater than any legal tender. In this ethereal Elysium we are all millionaires and spend without regard. 

Love is the essential reward of love. The only true currency in this bankrupt world is our compassion for each other and the beauty we express in our hearts.