Vanity of Vanities!

You are unique.  Outside projections are irrelevant!

Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities!  All is vanity!  What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? What does a man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?  A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.  The sun rises and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises.  The wind blows to the south, and goes round to the north; and on its circuits the wind returns.  All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow there they flow again.  All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, and ear filled with hearing.  What has been, is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; and there is nothing new under the sun.

So you are probably thinking at this point that I am just some Bible-thumper.  So what?  What's wrong with a little Bible thumping now and then? 

I can't help but wondering what the point of making all this excess money is.  I am not saying that there is anything wrong with making a lot of money.  Some people end up making a lot of money.  However, spending your life lamenting not making $100,000 or more seems, well, silly to me.  What would you use all that money on?  Enlarging your penis? 

You got to learn to love yourself!

Sometimes when I go out I see people wearing Louis Vuitton shoes.  Personally, I loathe that stuff.  What's the point of wearing those?  To advertise for some company?  To show off that you can afford "quasi-luxury goods" like everyone else?  Yet, these are very popular with people, from those barely affording their apartment to those rockin' the campus of my law school. 

What is the point of it?  It truly is vanity, whether or not you believe the Bible.  I ask myself, "would my life be so terrible if I only made a small pittance for the rest of my days?"  Of course not!  I can still do anything I dream of.  Anything!  Why should I cry in the night if I don't bring in the big money?  Why should I lament the days past, wishing I would have done something different?  Why?  So I could afford to be a shopaholic and buy needless items?  So I could "impress" other people with what I own?  Do I really need to impress others with outward things?  Shouldn't I be more concerned with my inward qualities, and who I am? 

One can live an amazing life, even if they make very little money.  It takes some thought and planning, but perhaps that's why frugal people enjoy being frugal.  It doesn't mean going without, it means being creative.  Sure, we won't wear Gucci shoes, but why would we want to?  We may not have a "smart" phone, but I think cell phones are nothing more than a modern ball and chain.  A $25 a month pay-as-you-go phone is superior.  A phone is a phone.  If you are spending hours on it online or "texting" you are probably doing life wrong. 

The masses end up looking the same...

Many people will read this wrong (reading comprehension is at an all time low), but I want to say again this is not an attack on money.  Some very "lucky" and intelligent people will make a lot of money in life.  Some others who are very skilled or who did the "right" things will make a lot of money.  This does not make them bad people.  I am not saying that I would not love to make a lot of money myself.  However, I don't see the point of making a lot of money to blow on outward appearances.  I know that young people care immensely what others think of them.  Self-esteem is also at a crushingly low point in our society.  People honestly believe that they can "show off" enough to make their self-image rise.  But that doesn't work.  After trying for so long you still end up hating yourself.  You think that by "impressing" others you will "win the day."  But, what about as you grow old?  How depressing it must be to not like yourself and then grow older, frail, and see your body fall apart before your eyes!  How depressing it must be to spend your youth despising yourself like so many do.  I honestly feel for these people that spend, spend, spend because they truly hate themselves.  You don't need to look pretty to others to be loved.  You are unique.

I see many people out and about where I live wearing nice clothing.  But, they are just masses of people to me.  I don't take notice of any one individual.  But I am sure that many of these individuals spent a lot of money, time, and effort into making themselves stand out and look superior to everyone else.  But they all look the same to me!  Many are wearing the same things.  Gucci shoes are not impressive when a good segment of the population is wearing them.  Many are fake, anyway, and you can rarely tell a fake from a real one from a distance anyway!  I could never be impressed by anything with a Louis Vuitton logo.  People that try to thrust their "wealth" out at others futilely do so unless they are at the very top of the wealth spectrum.  And in that case, I don't see those types out and about usually. 

Imagine yourself in 40 years...

When you accept yourself and your spot in the world, knowing you can advance it due to your own abilities and your own skills, you will be happy.  As long as you moan about how you should have done better, or how you wish more people would notice you, you will feel angry about life.  Many men seem to think that they can impress women by outward appearance.   That may work in the short run, but it will not bring about a lasting relationship.  Many who think that being poor disqualifies them from marriage are thinking backwards.  It's not being poor that disqualifies one from being married, it's attitude.  Why spend so much time trying to impress women with outward things when a woman often wants a man who has a good attitude towards life and is someone that they will feel comfortable growing old with? 


Some may read this as saying that it does not matter how you look.  I never said that.  It is important to be clean and healthy, to wear clothing that is not dirty and that is functional.  I am saying that it is silly, and pointless, to lament over not being able to "impress" with "over the top" things.  When you are out and about, you are just a speck of sand in a sea of people.  Nobody cares what you are wearing.  To think they do is fooling yourself.  But, you are unique inside.  Nobody can be who you are.  There are MILLIONS of people who wear the same clothing, who drive the same car, who have the same phone.  If you think that makes you unique, you'd better reconsider!  What makes you unique is your own abilities, thoughts, experiences, ways of coping with stress, ways of seeing the world.  If you see the world as a horrible place that is out to get you, you are going to have troubles in life.  And nothing material that you can project towards others will save you.

Money is nice.  It can help you buy property, travel, engage in new experiences, and educate yourself.  But, many things in today's modern world are easily achievable even without much money.  One can educate themselves for free.  Property in some areas is very cheap and obtainable.  It does not cost that much to travel if you are willing to do it on the cheap and research well in advance.  New experiences can be had for a pittance!  Those who are truly smart will see that there are many ways in which one can live and thrive without much wealth.  Oh yes you can!