Old Fools Journal: Young Fool and the Quality Of Life

Who is this guy? I remember him He was responsible but knew nothing yet. Loved without fear, did his job, believed in honesty, loved the sunshine, wanted to know everything and was willing to work at it. He was also, in the vernacular of the common folk, "hornier than a two peckered billy goat". He recently signed a contract to defend his country and its constitution with his life. I think he would have liked me. I know I like him. He doesn't know what joy's and heartbreaks the future holds but is ever optimistic. I don't remember hair that color and those teeth you see disappeared 30 years ago. Young Fool.

Rich? I sure am, however I count rich by the quality of life and not the dollar amount. I recently found a website that puts me in the top 12% of the richest in the world according to my income. It must be so because I have more than I need. I have acquaintances that often do not have so much as a dime in their pocket. I have even had beggars come by the house. It is apparent to them that we are rich because we have plenty. We have that through conservation, not wasting anything and a fairly simplified life. This is in the United States of America land of the free and home of the brave. Most of my neighbors are not worried about the TSA at the airport because they don't have gas money to even get there and they don't have to worry about foreign travel because they couldn't in their lifetime come up with enough money to buy a passport. This is not poverty because they all have electricity, water, food, cigarettes, beer and various other kinds of dope. They have some kind of TV and cable or Satellite. Some laugh, play and enjoy their children although I seldom see that. I know more than I want that can not read, many more that will never read a book and more than a few that collect some kind of disability check (mental disability}. That's just in my area but I suspect that it is about the same where the poor people live.

I recently gave up some of the precious minutes of the remainder my life to watch TV which reduced the quality of my life considerably but only momentarily. Actually I was a captive audience but there I was. I paid special attention to the commercials and here are a few things I noticed.

1. Approximately every other commercial was for an automobile. Not just any automobile but high powered very expensive automobiles doing irresponsible driving demonstrations. The kind of car you go into dept for many years to have and pay for it three times over in interest. The kind that appeals to the immature. In the 1920's Ford sold a car for as low as $260 and paid workers $5.00 a day. At that cost to pay ratio the automobile was affordable to the workers. A car cost 52 days of your life if you worked everyday. The Ads I saw appeared to be aimed at the employed young and stupid. It appears that auto dealers are frantically advertising more and more these days meanwhile I see late model cars alongside the road with for sale signs. As Mr Natural would say " What does it all mean"?

2. The only commercials aimed at older people (we the elderly) had to do with life insurance, burial expenses and getting you to sign your Medicare over so they could "take care of you". These insurance ads were heavily pushing guilt as a means to an end. Oh yeah, there were ads for cheap dentures.

3. Commercials aimed at the young seemed to be for video games, video entertainment and $3000 HD TV sets.

4. There seem to be a lot of commercials by pharmaceutical companies that spent more time telling about the side affects I don't want than telling about the conditions it will supposedly relieve. Most sound like a cure looking for a problem.

I did not see one commercial about anything that would improve anyones life except for maybe the seller. All were lies either implied or actual. Since I don't spend a great deal of time in front of the TV I am not really the target but I thought over the influence of commercials on me. I can only think of one commercial that caused me to check into it in the last 10 years. It was about some telephone gadget that was supposed to save me a ton of money but it turned out to be a lie. I saved my money by not spending it.

These commercials were all embedded in entertainment shows where there was a least one murder in gory detail, a cadaver, usually rotting and full of maggots, and a smart police officer or two solving the case. I know the last item never happens. There were many instances of the police abusing their position (it appeared to be condoned) and lawyers looking for justice which in the real world is nonexistent. All lawyers want is to win at any cost as do politicians. Justice depends on how much you can pay.

I do not believe I am being cynical but am being rather realistic. There is a lot of beauty and good in the world but it isn't coming out of the TV.

I can't throw out my TV because it belongs to SWMBO (she who must be obeyed) but I think I'll continue to limit my viewing of it.