Words uttered by the Joker in
Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight just
before setting fire to a monumental pile of cash. A powerful scene that gives
the viewer insight into the character’s true motivation. But chaos and mayhem
aside, is it realistic? How dependent am I on the comfort of money? And maybe
more importantly, do I even have a message to send?
Before answering that question, I
suppose it’s important to frame it with the proper history.
From humble beginnings, I am the guy
that grew up on baloney sandwiches laced with government cheese, and somehow
ended up wearing hand-me-downs even though I was the oldest sibling. Many a
school year I was the child that hadn’t gotten new clothes and was wearing last
year’s fall fashion to homeroom on day one of class. The only thing I knew
about Nike was that I didn’t have any (Alas a swoosh-less upbringing, woe is
me), and it seemed everyone else did. My parents, God bless them both, somehow
fed and clothed a family of four on a mere $17,000 a year. That being said, I wasn’t
aware I was poor until I got around kids in school that weren’t. Trust me, I
believe the ignorance of my youth was a good thing, and of course a credit to
my parents.
Through my teens, even after I
started working, the lure of upgrading my lifestyle with brand names eluded me,
or perhaps I eluded it.
In my twenties, things took a turn
as I began earning more dough. I drank Budweiser and Jaeger, and thought them
to be the height of alcoholic beverages. My mall trips consisted of safaris wherein
I would attempt to find the World’s most classless and ugly shirts. Remember those
button-ups that were imitation silk, the bright ones with the swirling dragons
and flames that were lapping up from the shirt tails? Ya, I kept those things
in market for several years. And I apologize.
Fast forward some ten or so years,
and all my running shoes have passed the swoosh test. I no longer eat
government cheese, but instead opt for dropping about a hundred dollars a week
on restaurant grub. My clothing choices now include a selection of about 100
printed t-shirts, and for more formal events a few vests and slacks (though
most of these are recycled work clothes that no longer get worn). Guinness and
Gentleman Jack can be found taking up space in the bar these days. Needless to
say I’ve gotten quite a bit more comfortable embracing America’s new favorite
pastime; consumerism.
Though sometimes I wonder, why did
things change? Supposing it’s normal to alter one’s spending habits as you earn
more income, my theory is as follows: I can be a fairly persuasive person,
particularly I can talk myself into anything. Had a bad day? Resolve it with a spending spree. Stress on the job? Relieve it with a
nice drink. While you’re at it, don’t waste your cash on your regular fare,
upgrade! Why, because you deserve it pal!
Naturally, because of the path I’ve
followed in this regard I find myself asking as of late, could I go back to the
way things used to be?
My answer is a simple one: I think I’ve
lost my taste for government cheese.
Kidding aside, I think I could, but
only if I had to. If by some
uncontrollable event, I no longer had the means to enjoy my current standard of
living. Please don’t misunderstand me either. I’m not writing this to brag
about where I’m at vs. where I came from. Everyone that has the ability to read
these words is without a doubt better off than a majority of the rest of the
world (Fact is as of 2012, even the bottom 10% of U.S. income falls in the top
30% of global income distribution). Additionally,
we all have our own vices. Some of you might even be reading this on the latest
IPhone. I’m not even going to call out the fact you’ve probably wasted hundreds
of dollars running out to the Apple store to buy the newest model, even though
your previous phone was probably without defect. I believe nearly every American is guilty
of this type of behavior to some degree.
At the end of all this contemplation
I suppose I’m not so bad overall. At least I’m to the point where I’m thinking
about what my hard earned cash goes towards, and that’s a step in the right
direction if nothing else.
So I suppose we’re to the point where
I have to get to mine. Getting back to what I referenced about having a message…
Simply put I believe mine is as follows; it’s worth taking a look at what
demands your dollars attention. Just because you’re spending within your means,
doesn’t mean what you spend has meaning.
