Dollars and Sense

If your stranded on a deserted island, what would you want to have with you?  I bet you would want a $100 million Van Gogh or a $18 million Faberge egg. No?  How about your $100,000 BMW? No? Hmmm.  Oh, I know, you would want your 45 pair of $200 Jordan's and your 30 inch $9,000 Asanti Rims.  No?  That's really odd because right now those items are what we place such high esteem and value on.

This blog has been in the making for sometime now.  Rarely do I take time to think out what I want to write, I just sit down and do it.  But, this one is different.  I want to make my point very clear. 

I once knew this guy who owned a BMW.  Yes, it was a nice car.  His comment about it has stuck with me for a long time.  He said, " Yeah, I could've bought two Fords for what I paid for this, but nothin' can beat the ride."  Now I know my brain works differently than most people's but if he could indeed have bought two Fords, then apparently he overpaid or chose the wrong car.  Had he bought a Ford (Chevy, Dodge, Toyota, etc.) he would have had more money in his pocket.  The Ford would have driven him to the same places, gotten there in the same amount of time, and most likely cost less to maintain.  This story came back into my mind about six weeks ago when I saw a guy driving a new very nice BMW and I have been in a strange mood ever since.

I've began to notice how much money we (everyone) waste.  The more money people have, the more they waste.  Take for instance, how many DVDs do you own?  50?  Did you own the VHS version, as well?  What about record albums, cassette tapes, cds, and now digital copies?  Would you like all that money back or do you think you've gotten your money's worth out of them.  All of that stuff is pretty petty but it does add up.

Who I'm really talking to/about are the rich.  Millions of dollars spent on collecting so called "priceless" artworks, buying ridiculous size yachts, owning countless cars and multiple homes.  Why?  Does your greed have no end?  Have you ever stopped to think what passing on that one new car and giving that money to someone in need could do?  I doubt it.  We are all so selfish.  We want what we want and no one or no thing will stop us.  What if, instead of a car you passed on the $100 million Van Gogh or Pollock and donated that money?  That money could be put to much better use like to help human kind and better this world.   No one has ever said, "Boy, I'm glad I bought those Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire homerun balls. They really saved my life!"  Nope, those balls are sitting on a shelf somewhere collecting dust and not making a difference to anyone.  (Going off topic for a bit)  Why is it that when it comes to raising money we have to auction off things? It's just more crap that we don't need.  But, our greedy nature won't let us donate the money. Nooooo.  We gotta get something for our buck.  Every year ESPN auctions off days with their TV personalities.  People pay $10,000+ to go hang out with them. Don't get me wrong, it's a great way (in our greedy world) to raise money.   If the person has $10,000 to give just to hang out, how much more could they really give.

You can look up who the richest people in world are.  You can also see the biggest donaters are.  I always laugh when the millionaire donates $5000 and gets a standing ovation but the chap who makes $35,000 a year donates $500 and gets no recognition at all.  Percentage-wise the lower mid classer donated a higher percentage but all we see is the top dollar sign.

Lately, I have seen commercials stating that "Gold is at it's all time high and we're buying!"  It makes me wonder when and why did gold become so valuable.  The Europeans' greed and lust for gold about wiped out entire populations of native people in this hemisphere.  What purpose does gold or silver serve?  Okay, they are shiny metals that make nice looking jewelry.  Does that mean we should kill each other so that we  can get all Bling Blinged or Iced up?  "Of course not , Shane.  Don't be silly."  Uh okay.  Without our greed and lust for our neighbors property, there wouldn't be things such as theft and murder.  Sound familiar? Yeah, it's in that black book covered in dust some where in your house.  It has the words "Holy Bible" on it.  It's a good read you should try it sometime.      

Boy that took a left turn, didn't it?

Anyway, speaking of Christ.  Christmas is coming up.  Nothing like celebrating the birth of God's Son, The Redeemer, the Bread of Life, The Alpha and the Omega, The Prince of Peace, than to trample, stomp and fight people over cheap TV's and Tickle Me Malibu Furbies.

Let's get back to my point.  The way we are living our lives, shows what we value most in this world.  Your buying your kids the most expensive clothes, cars, cell phones.....meanwhile the kids at the other end of the cafeteria table are eating their one and only meal of the day.