Everything is for sale. You should know it by now. You may not realize it, but you have, on one occasion or more, have sold yourself in one way or another. It doesn't matter if you wanted to or not, or if you got more than you bargained for or less. As our society gets more and more advanced there is no more room for puny words like honor, sacrifice and ambition anymore (unless they put it in movies or video games). We are now both buyers and sellers, depending on what is being sold and what the demand calls for on a given day.
Money has certainly been a major factor in determining power and worth on modern humankind. It is virtually impossible living without it today, which is quite ironic given the fact that money is something we only created to give a semblance of order in the chaos known as human society. While we may not be clubbing each others heads and flinging crap at each other anymore, (at least us who aren't on MTV's Jackass) we are still every bit the cunning and devious species we were a few thousand years ago. The only difference being we are now better dressed, better groomed, better fed but ultimately not always so better-off.
Once upon a time, being the top dog meant being the most brutal member of the tribe, one who inspires fear and respect with a swing of a club (or sword). Now it means being so important, no one can land a punch on you if their life depended on it. Way back then, the thrill of the hunt was in narrowly surviving a wild beast's attack and taking the (now-dead) thing home for dinner. These days, the thrill comes from getting a discount on suspiciously cheap meat that could be beef like the label says, or something that could have been your neighbor's pet. Point being: forget being a badass like Manny Pacquiao or Anderson Silva, be a rich, influential dude and get the money to buy things both those guys would envy--and fear.
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| He may not look it, but this man can kill you in 42 different ways, all while wearing that stupid top | . |
Or so most of us dream. The sad fact is, not everyone will be rich. Sadder fact: Not every rich man earned their keep. Saddest fact: Not all of them are happy, let alone content, with what they have. I personally dream of being just rich enough to buy everything to make my room a geek heaven. And a GT-R in the garage would be sweet as well. Most people my age still cling to the Scarface motto; "the world is mine." As if such a thing was possible. Or even worth it. All the world? Mine? No thank you. People forget the responsibility of being a king, not realizing that the king would sometimes envy the simplicity of the squire's life. But if being content was a human trait, then we would still be living in the jungles now, wouldn't we?
It's just not in our character as a species to stop at good enough. It is why we have subjugated the Earth, and ultimately be the steps unto our own undoing. Stopping while we're ahead is just a fool's motto, uttered only by those too weak to seize their desires, terrified by their own potential for greatness--or evil. It's simply never just enough. Be it our food, clothes, cars, gadgets, money, entertainment, etc., we will always find a way to want more. We have become reduced to a species just looking for it's next temporary high. And we are all hopelessly addicted.
Consumption is an everyday activity, and has been written in our DNA. Everyone's interested in what we're buying and selling, and the trend today seems to be fame and dignity. Fame being bought at the cost of dignity, that is. Ah, but then again how much does dignity cost today anyway? You'll find premium ice cream more expensive than shame nowadays. The proof is everywhere. If you do not realize it, you are probably chasing it, confusing it for the culmination of a dream. But before you consider me preachy, let me admit that fame would have its great perks. Who does not like attention? Idolatry? Worship, even? Count me in!
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| Except for this shit. I still have some semblance of dignity not to enter here. |
As I have always maintained in this blog, NONE OF US ARE SAFE! I am here to point out our own bullshit, but ultimately not to condemn, or judge it, but to laugh at it. Acknowledge it. Because in the end, nothing I'll say or do should change your view of the world. And that's the beauty of it all.
I wish everyone the best in their own quest for success, be it real or imagined, substantial or shallow, entertaining or not, life-changing or suicide-inducing! So be careful what you wish and work for. You know the rest.
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