Easy Money

 "So curious that such a wealthy man never posts anything that indicates that he enjoys or is even aware of what virtually everyone appreciates— scenes from nature, pet dog or cat, praise for a movie, music, a book (but doubt that he reads); pride in a friend’s or relative’s accomplishment; condolences for someone who has died; pleasure in sports, acclaim for a favorite team; references to history. In fact he seems totally uneducated, uncultured. The poorest persons on Twitter may have access to more beauty & meaning in life than the 'most wealthy person in the world.'"

Not everyone is as up on Joyce Carol Oates as they might be. The eighty-seven year old author of fifty-eight novels is also a prolific poster on the artist formerly known as Twitter. The sample above shows what an accomplished author can bring to the often tired and pedantic online world. 

Except for certain islands in this tepid stream. 

Ahem. 

I repost this here in an effort to try and support my point that is nothing new: excess wealth does not make one full. The suggestion that money cannot buy happiness is nothing new, but that leaves me with the quandary as to why so many cohabiting couples argue about money. The constant illusion projected on us by virtually all media tells us that marrying a prince or princess will be the path to living happily ever after. Or that we might by simply investing a dollar in a lottery ticket, all our problems would be solved. 

Shareholders recently voted to pay Elongated Mush one trillion dollars. That's twelve zeroes. It's the kind of number that exists primarily in hypothetical rants from government officials and eight year olds who want to impress you with the place value they have only barely begun to understand. It's the kind of number that describes astronomical distance. The nearest star after our own sun is twenty-four million miles away. 

If someone gave you a trillion dollars, wouldn't you be happy? 

Grateful? 

Nope. 

Judging by the response from the world's first trillion dollar man, it would only make you more bitter and defensive, causing you to attempt to justify the outrageous sum awarded you by folks who see this as their opportunity to get just a fraction of return on their money. 

Then there are those whose lives are lived in quiet desperation, from paycheck to paycheck, hoping that no one decides to cancel the assistance programs that keep them awake and alive, arguing about how they are going to afford another holiday dinner. The average median income for full time workers in the United States is just under sixty thousand dollars a year. Go ahead and toss additional health care increases and the current rate of inflation and you might begin to wonder what anyone in that position has to be happy about. 

Then remember these are the people who go out and look for joy. Maybe in the faces of children. Or the sunset. Or the opportunity to get up the next day and try to make this math work.