Monday Moaning: Money Consumption!
The two words from the title are related to one and other though my thought today may differ from what goes around as the common view on how they are connected. Since we invented money or came up with the concept of making a piece of printed paper worth something, it has become the centre of our lives. For whatever reasons we come up with, we can’t seem to do without it anymore.
Its effect is one that ripples and dies a quiet death when it reaches a certain top. Would the image of a lake or puddle be accurate if we are not the ones swimming in money.
Sitting down and just taking on a view based on some events that have happened here it may not be as strange as it sounds.
Am I to explain what has been going on, it may well be to much to lay out here, but in short my Grandma has passed on last week. So it comes with a lot of stress and sadness while handling some of the money issues that are occurring. Like the moment we have to let town hall know she passed away. Yup being dead means you need to pay a fee to get scrapped from the list of residents of your town. Talking about stealing from the dead.
It is this kind of money spending that I see as consuming money. It changes hands for no real apparent reason or visual or tangible evidence. The heart can get pretty angry over such cold situations. The burial is pretty expensive too, these days. Just having a insurance for 6.000 Euro’s won’t cut much bread.
One simple casket, an hour or so inside a chapel to hear people speak their hearts, and say a final goodbye. Coffee and or a drink after with a slice of cake. One car to move her from her home towards her final resting place.
All in all it becomes a reality when you see the figures being put down on paper. No bad word about the undertaker. He takes his time and is very adequate when explaining everything around the choices the children are making.
But in the end it is still a lot of money for being dead.
These are changes we have made. Not wanting to pay for a parent who had died so they would not get buried or were buried in an unmarked grave if not getting a towns funeral. The most simple paid by the residents of the town and its taxes. We came up with insurance. Letting money exchange hands with no real knowledge you will or can get what you want.
Enough about this as it is the last wish of a person and should be listened to.
Back to the reason and my view on the consumption.
We have started to consume money instead of consume materials or what not was bought with money. The fact this feeling is only growing stronger is because of all money becoming virtual. Spending money like water every two years for a new phone, tablet, laptop and what not. Lucky to have a TV working for more than 5 years.
The items in the list have all become a common good and the most normal thing to own. It isn’t even seen as a consumers product anymore, but more as a part of life. This kind of money consumption is making the companies pretty fat.
Each of them are sitting around the pond with a rod in their hands, making ripples by pulling us fish in to try and take a bite.
Was there not a saying that said; Money makes the world go round.
It is outdated as money is the thing that is going around while each of us is standing still. We consume money like it is food instead of eating actual food.
Okay that may have sounded strange but the fact is that we do not know what we are eating and buying with our money. We have started to see it as a survival tool. Without it we would die, just like water.
Prices keep on rising as we earn more. But how precise is that assumption? Just asking for a raise is no guarantee we can afford a new TV.
To give another reason on why I say we consume money is what is going on here in this country.
Last year or it may have been a couple of years schools and other organizations opted for a new way of teaching, through tablets. I for one do not agree with this but it is for that reason people call me old and obsolete.
I plead for good education for each and every child and that includes the less fortunate.
Schools demand parents to pay up to 400 Euro’s for an Ipad so these children can be educated. The common good and assumed part of life is the so called tablet in this case. And no, another tablet would not be compatible with the new schools education.
Pasts have been ruled by books also paid but with help from governments. Now it is the parent who needs to have money if one wants the best education for their child. Taking away an equal chance for everyone.
This is the kind of society we are becoming or creating, thinking that money is like water and can be consumed on will. Saying that one has to consume in order to progress and be able to produce.
Was there not a time we needed to produce before we could consume. And to think these things break down or ned renewal after two years.
Being alone while writing this story it is still to have someone read this and have them think about their own situation. One does not have to agree but at least come up with their own idea how the title of today’s moan works.
Living in a consumers market and being a consumer I look at the changes from the bottom up. It is blurred and veiled by layers upon layers of rules and what not legal terms to hide the hooks we gladly bite in.
We are the fish in the pond and we swim in money, but it has become our habitat. Every brick, piece of paper is made from money to make money and with the digital age it becomes even more obscured on how we consume or use money.
Truth is; we need it, and always to much of it.
Best Wishes
Ranting Crow
I am off spending some more money on god knows what for the sake of having a chance to become the worm on a hook.
Ranting Crow 