Desperate Times Call for Daring Measures
I didn’t think I would blog this week because on my normal day, Sunday, the place where I’m housesitting was broken into. I wasn’t exactly shall we say, feeling inspired or hopeful about the future? This is going to sound incredibly narcissistic, but what changed my mind was me and my actions, and also knowing there are others like me in the world.
As you know, I’m moving (again), which dictates I put my stuff in storage at least for the month of October. Some friends kindly offered me the use of their discount at a storage facility under the false pretense that I lived at their address. At the storage facility my stomach was in knots, I felt so uncomfortable being dishonest, leading the facility to believe I live somewhere I don’t.
My friends reassured me it was fine because they were technically liable for the unit but I couldn’t go through with it, I felt awful about not being completely upfront. I told myself it was OK because I’m experiencing financial insecurity and I could really use the money, but my feelings were not assuaged. I called my recovery mentor and he said, “Rebekah, it sounds like you’re justifying.” Ding, yep, way to call me out. I totally was.
I called the facility the next day and fessed up, telling them I wasn’t being completely truthful. They thanked me for my honesty and still gave me a discount, albeit not as much as I could have gotten. I felt relieved about coming clean because the truth is I was giving into my fear. I was exclaiming to myself and to the universe that I didn’t believe that I would be taken care of, that I needed to take matters into my own hands, and that to get what I wanted it was OK to be dishonest. I was allowing myself to be swayed by desperation.
This is all to say to thieves who broke in on Sunday, “I get it. I understand feeling desperate and wanting to make sure you get yours but it’s not OK.” It is not OK that some neighborhood hoodlums have deprived me of my peace of mind. It is not OK that I’m worried for my safety. It is not OK that I startle at every little noise and my sense of home and security has been disturbed.
Furthermore I am pissed off. I am pissed off that people are feeling desperate in the first place. I am PISSED OFF there are no safety nets in our country. That we’re living in a greedy, selfish society where people feel pushed to lie, cheat, and steal to get their needs met. I am pissed off that some people are hording all the wealth to such a degree they are practically wiping their butts with money while others are dying on the street. This is NOT OK.
Capitalism is not working. It’s just not. We seem to think basic necessities like food, education, clothing, shelter, and medical care are privileges and not rights. People, that is messed up. It is time to say no. It is time to say this is not right. It is time to give daring measures like local economies, wealth caps, and cooperatives a chance. Because if the local economy is thriving, if people have all their needs met, how likely is it they’ll break into houses or mug people on the street?
I obviously can’t control other people, all can I do is control myself and change the things I can. All I can do is continue to choose faith over fear. All I can do is act with integrity in all areas of my life. All I can do is employ new measures because desperate times don’t call for desperate measures, they call for daring ones. So let’s be daring.
I dream of a world where everyone everywhere has all their needs met. A world where people feel safe in their homes. A world where wealth is shared and people are taken care of. A world where universal rights are granted and people are happy, joyous, and free.
Another world is not only possible, it’s probable.
Another world is neither possible nor probable. It's indispensable. The time has come to organize our peaceful departure from capitalism. Expecting for it to take place at the national stage, anointed by a two-party system rigged to secure the privilege of the few at the expense of the many, is a waste of time. That type of change will never happen -it will never be allowed to happen- from the top down. It is a grassroots movement. We need to be strategic about it, though. Let's start our conversation.
Hear hear!
Gretings!
Your feelings of desperation are understandable. In fact, a lot of people, especially those who are undergoing growing-up pains are overwhelmed by the insecure environment that they are waking up to. This distress caused by uncertainty finds outlet in seeking solace in early exposures to recreational drugs and finding solace in early and overexposure to unbridled engagement in sex. Please do not get me wrong–I do not encourage or condone such resultant detours. Only, I feel I understand… It only paves the way into the realization that such development, such outcome, was due to the shortcomings of supposedly guardians and elders in ensuring a safe environment for them to grow up into. Of course, not to disregard mitigating factors that may be considered beyond our direct control but propelled by karmic consequences. I also feel, that the initial step in an effort to address the predicament is to realize its "real" root causes and at the same time, be amenable of our culpability in its emergence.
[…] In truth, I think the final frontier is the mind but the final frontier in terms of the physical world is space, in my opinion. I planned to write about this last week because Neil Armstrong died but, well, other stuff happened instead. […]
[…] to employ my logical mind. It's time to be an adult and look at the evidence. Hell, there was a break in and I wasn't home and none of my stuff was taken. I'd call that being pretty darn protected […]
[…] because I was worried about being broken into myself, but rather because I was having flashbacks. Almost two years ago, some friends of mine were broken into while I was housesitting for them. I was, and am, […]
The great part is that you did what you thought was right in the end. Just always remember that trials never last forever. With the help of God, they will pass away.