Wolsamnoraa's Blog

There are two things you need to know about me.  I like kittens and I have questions about Capitalism.  There is something about furry little cats that really gets my motor running.  You can see for yourself Kittens by kittens.  The part about capitalism is a little less obvious.  We can all agree that in capitalism, time is money.  You’ve heard it before in movies and from your mom’s friend, Aunt Rita.  This is where my grievance begins.  To understand what “time is money” actually means and why it irks me, it’s imperative that you consider a short thought experiment that reflects real life.

It begins now…Say you’re an American and you’re born.  (Congratulations!  You’re now entitled to a percentage of the world’s wealth.)   You have just become a burden on society and on your parents…I’m sure that they made the right ‘choice’.  Well, what you don’t understand at that ripe age of five-minutes-old is that you cost money just to exist here.  There are doctor bills and hospital bills before you’re even born.  After delivery, you’ll need to eat and be clothed and live somewhere otherwise you’ll end up like some of those rotting dumpster babies that you’re not supposed to know about.  The cost that you require to live increases dramatically as you age.  You’ll need more food, bigger clothes, more stuff.  It’s all free at first.  For most people, you don’t start paying your way until you’re sixteen or twenty.  All of the cash that you need to live is provided for you until your parents accept your state-declared adulthood.  At that point, you’re supposed to go out and make it on your own.

Hopefully, you’ve learned some useful skills or have discovered a talent or a dream that you can use to your advantage.  Hopefully, you’ve been prepared properly to take on the upcoming changes.  This part of life gets chalked up to responsibility.  If you fail to take responsibility for your survival, you’ll be labeled as a lazy free loader.  This is the part I’m not quite sure about.  What is the responsibility you’re taking on?  In my opinion, you’re absolutely directly responsible for your survival because the system mandates it.  If you don’t pay, you’ll end up like one of those dumpster babies that everyone is always talking about.

Indirectly, however, you’re responsible for maintaining the capitalistic norm.  What will people think of the guy who just pursues personal interests with a total disregard for making money?  Is he an artist?  Nope…just a free loader and lazy.  Your existence is expensive and if you’re not fitting the bill, you’re taking advantage of the system (specifically, advantage of other people).  Even though your entire upbringing maintained that you would be taken care of by other people, you’re immediately expected to take on the expenses of your life.

I’m confused.  Life is pleasant when it is spent doing the things that you love to do.  As a member of the Capitalism Club, you’re not always welcome to do the things that you love.  You’re expected to toil.  It is often said that only the lucky few of us get to make a living doing what we really love to do.  Your chances of being one of those lucky few are slim.  The chances are so slim that most people don’t even try to live for their passion.  And of the people who do, there is a great chance that they’ll fail.  Capitalism dictates that you suck it up and do whatever you can to pay for you existence.  It’s a cheap trick that has no morals.  I don’t know that I’m prepared to accept it.  Do I have a choice?  Are there any other options that would make life seem less like a chore?  What do you think?