Money: A necessary evil?

This morning I had not a clue what I was going to write about today. Shortly I am off to a meeting of the Paper Training Group. I had thought about writing about that.

Then as I watched the news, an idea sprang from nowhere, when I saw a news item about a 3-minute workout being all the exercise the body needs.

My train of thought went as follows.

If that is true, then we do not really need all these gyms. So the purpose of the gym, for the owner, is to take our money off us. And the purpose of the gym for us, is to be seen at the gym.

Have you noticed how many people that want to get fit by exercising, DRIVE, to the gym, rather than walk or run!

All this took me back to 1996 when I was made redundant, (or as the Americans say, let-go). I was sent on a course for how to start your own business.

The first thing they pointed out was that businesses are there for only one purpose, to make a profit. That is pretty obvious thing to say if you think about buying food down at the market, a drink in a bar, newspapers or cigarettes. But they pointed out that sometimes we are brainwashed not to see that. Care homes are a good example, but nowhere near the only example.

Whenever we think of care homes we instantly think of elderly people, or people with medical problems that need 24 hour care. Our mind focuses on their welfare. Are the staff friendly? is it warm and comfortable? is the food good and varied? can they have their own privacy if they need it? But the truth of the matter is, the primary aim of the care home is not to look after these people. The primary aim is to make a profit. And it does so BY looking after people.

At one time, schools were there to educate
NOW, there are there to make a profit, BY educating.

I think sometimes, we have to stop and think, and remind ourselves of these things.

On the news last week, they were interviewing couples about the cost of child care. One couple said, 100% of the wife's salary went on the child care fees. So why go out to work? If you stayed at home you would be no worse off financially, you may even be better off, because you will not have the commuting costs, there will be less stress, meeting up with others that have done the same will give you social contact. And someone else, that will benefit from the money more, can have your job. I'm not being sexist here, it could equally well be a man that has the lower paid job.

Last year I saw another programme on TV 'Total Immersion Parenting', I think it was called. They also pointed out how the 'Children' industry has brain washed us to give away our money in exchange for separating us from our children. So we lose in two ways - a double whammy.

Mothers breast fed their children even to the ages of 5 or 6. The programme showed mothers with their children on the local playground. The children ran around for a while, got hot and sweaty and thirsty. When they wanted a drink, they ran up to mummy, who discretely lifted her top and fed them. Then off back to the swings. No artificial colours, flavours or preservatives there! no aluminium cans or plastic bottles to dispose of. No bottles to wash, And it was free!

They did not spend £1000 on a designer pram as many do, that separates mother and baby, they had one of these sash things that keeps the baby close to mum or dads body.

I could go on and on.

But I guess we also have to see the flip side of this coin. If we did not spend all this money, and let them make all this profit,  they would have less money to spend, and so the people that they are buying off, would be out of a job.

The whole point of this diatribe is just to make us stop and think. Sometimes we spend money because we really have to. Sometimes we spend money just because we want to, it makes us feel good. But a lot of the times we spend money because we are brainwashed to do so.