Galactic
Space Monkeys Have It Better
social commentary by Isaac Logan
Measuring happiness in degrees of material wealth is a flaw
in our societies collective thought process. No one is happy
unless all his or her wants are fulfilled. Few people need
things, as a need is something necessary to survival. Our
culture has allowed us to go beyond worrying about such trivial
things as shelter, clothing and sustenance. Instead, we are
consumed with a burning desire to accrue possessions. Many
of us are greedy, but that greed is derived from an intense
want.
Any amount of money is fine, the more the better, but why
do we feel this way? Money provides material wealth; it allows
us to "live" our lives and to define our personalities. This
ubiquitous cure-all does not really work as advertised. In
reality it is a desire for money, manifested through greed,
that is driven by an intense want.
This want is what fuels our economy; it creates growth, makes
people money and is the core value in a capitalistic society.
The money itself doesn't make someone happy; it is the thought
of what they can do with it. But what are we doing with it?
Most of us work really hard, get paid, and turn around and
give it right back to those that paid us. In the grand scheme
of things, we are slogging it out in socio-economic serfdom,
trying desperately to claw our way out, grasping vainly at
the caste above.
Making this problem worse is the not-so-subtle manipulation.
A lot of people are aware of this at some level or another,
just turn on your TV and watch a raft of commercials, or drive
down the road and look at the scenic bill boards while listening
to corporate radio spewing its commercials. This is one of
the many ugly sides to our culture, were everything has to
be brought down to the lowest common dominator, making life
an oversized, watered down Wal-Mart commercial.
Currently this nation is facing a recession, and according
to the press and Wall Street analysts, it's all my fault for
not spending enough money. I tend to think it has more to
do with a self-fulfilled prophecy. Market analysts said we
were heading for a decline, so stock traders sold, sold, sold,
businesses carried out a serious of preemptive sackings to
shield themselves against the impending doom, and then consumers
stopped spending.
In the long run this lack of spending is better anyway, because
it lets banks loan out more of our money so an economy obsessed
with growth can grow, and our currency won't become completely
useless thanks to inflation. But these things are long term,
and this fast food, results-oriented culture wants a quick
fix. Now it is up to the steely-eyed consumer to do his or
her part and go deeper into debt to further devalue our hard-earned
money and squander it on shit we really don't need, just want
really bad.
We marginalize our happiness and well being for some greater
"need." Life in itself is the ultimate reward. Everyday I
am allowed to exist on this planet, in this country, sucking
down all the oxygen I want, is what it's all about. We need
to experience things for the sake of the experience, not because
it keeps up with the Joneses. Screw them; I hate SUVs and
I really don't care what they think anyway. Man is such a
complex animal: we have opposable thumbs, we invented fire
and we changed the face of our planet, so why is it so hard
to buy cereal? The choices we are bombarded with day in and
day out make it hard to take time out and smell the flowers,
or see the raw beauty in our respective grimy cities.
A communist Utopia would be ideal, but in the meantime let's
grasp life by the horns and go out and live. Adventure lurks
around every corner, danger beckons, and it is our duty to
take advantage of what is given to us, so go out and taste
life. If you have a roof over your head then you are ahead
of the game. I know I don't need Madison Avenue to tell me
how to live.
Isaac Logan