Saturday, October 31, 2009
Slow Motion
Every now and then I actually get a little excitement out of life.That's a broad,depressing statement,so let me clarify.I'm a high stress individual that thinks the world is out to get me.That being said the majority of my life,I have wondered around trying to make sense of it all.Yeah,how's that going for me?In all actuallity it's going pretty well.I haven't found the cure for AIDS or how to make world peace,but I have found some peace inside of my little head.It's taken entirely to long to get it,however I'm glad I have it.Now I know everyone always says money isn't everything yet it really is.Sure there is always true love and finding inner peace but who ever actually gets that anymore.Ever since I was a little kid I wondered what ever happened to the trade and barter system,it worked so well.Now if you want something you have to pay for it.Whether it's something you need or something you want.Up until two years ago to the day,I was busting my ass trying to pay rent and feed myself,I was doing a terrible job at it.I finally got my first real adult break when the company I now work for decided to give me a chance.Over the course of the last two year I have learned,worked hard,traveled to distant locations and earned a decent paycheck.It wasn't until recently I nticed how much I have changed in the last few years.Besides losing the rest of my hair and putting on a few pounds I actuallt enjoy waking up most mornings.I find myself smiling throughout the day for no reason.Now with all that being said,it really makes me angry.Here's why,who's to say I get the job and he doesn't.Who's to say I get to be happy and he can't.It just doesn't seem fair to the "little" guy.No I'm not going to give him my job or all my hard earned money.I know it isn't fair because for the longest time I was the little guy and it wasn't fair.Why does everything in America have to be based on money and financial gain.Maybe it would be a good idea for everything to fall apart.Maybe we should all sit back look at the ceiling and imagine it isn't there.Imagine you are outside with no grocery store,gas station,bank or government to tell you what to do.Could you survive or would the little guy steal your food?Just remember the little guy has been stepped on his whole life,he isn't about to let you take his last can of beans.
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7 comments:
IMO, you should keep in mind that your success (or mine) was not free to us. I made a lot of TOUGH decisions from age 14 to where I am at 35, because this is where I wanted to be (if I lived at the beach, it would be just as I dreamed it!). I have given up on friendships, business opportunities, and all kinds of things because life is SO SHORT, and those people were not going where I wanted to go.
So when I get into my new truck and there's a homeless crackhead or meth head standing there, and I have no change - I don't feel too terribly bad. I think about all the years I've worked 2 or 3 jobs simultaneously, the 3 college degrees in 7 years, all the broken dates and broken hearts, all the parties I missed from age 14...and still missing parties! The hundreds of thousands of miles I've driven for a paycheck. What the Arizona desert feels like as you drive across it at 4am...FOR WORK.
The hundreds of nights I've landed in another city at 1:30am, checked into a hotel that could have been in any other city, and checked out at 6:00am to get back on the road....the nights, weeks, and sometimes MONTHS (going back in history) away from my wife and family...just to earn a buck.
I don't know, buddy. I tend to think that we all pay our way. Just my opinion.
America, like any nation, has its faults. But success in this country (to the bottom 99% of us who make 5% of the money) is based on 3 things....HARD WORK, GOOD TIMING, and GOOD LUCK. One is totally up to you, one is partially up to you, and one, you can do nothing about.
Too many people who are struggling in this country refuse to work hard, refuse to angle themselves for good timing, and just keep buying lottery tickets, livin' at mom's house and waiting for that "good luck" to hit.
I remember watching the Baltimore news about 5 years ago, they did a study on how Baltimoreans intended to retire. I don't remember the exact #s, but it was like 5% expected a pension, 15% would use personal savings, 20% planned to move in with their grown kids (hey, whatever), and 60% PLANNED TO WIN THE LOTTERY.
I wasn't talking about people who don't try,I was talking about the people who have tried just as hard as everyone else they just haven't gotten lucky yet.I guess that what you call it,luck.Maybe being in the right place at the right time or maybe how pops would say you should have tried harder.I agree with what you are saying and how you feel Swampy I wrote this for one reason.Don't forget what you had to go through to get where you are.I know you haven't but I tend to see more and more people who have "made it" frown upon anyone lesser then them fro no reason,that's all I was trying to convey
Oh hells no. In fact, I enjoy watching new scrappers come up and try to get theirs. Sometimes I just watch how hard they're trying (and how little progress they make) and sometimes they do things better and smarter than the old guys do. They'll get theirs, eventually.
There are a few people who have such "bad timing" and "bad luck" that it seems like they never get a break. They do exist, and that's pretty sad. But for most people who are struggling in this country, their struggles can be linked to bad decisions and "blown" second chances....that just happen at the WORST times.
Even in this economy where 5% of Americans who want to work, can't get work at all. Just got to be in position to take advantage of them when they show up. If you hoped that your GED would see you through your adult life, and you got laid off of your job packing boxes at the Chevy plant for $75/hour...why didn't you go get some more training?
If there's one thing I have learned, it's that opportunity ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS shows up at the wrong time. BUT, it's up to each of us, personally, to live our lives so "the wrong time" means "I don't know if I can take that job - I have another job 500 miles away right now!".......instead of...."I don't know if I can take that job....I get out of jail in 22 days" or "I can't take that road job...I have to submit a urinalysis to my parole officer every monday."
That's not being in position to take advantage of the breaks.
Holy shizam- I just learned something from you 2 knuckle heads.
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