Green & Greed...

Money seems to be the root of evil. Look where it has gotten our country and others. Our country is filled with nothing but a bunch of capitalistic pigs in power. We are judged by our possessions. Which brands of clothing you wear, what technology you possess, how big your vehicle and home is, and even where you live. Children fight in schools because there is animosity over a pair of shoes or jeans. With this way of living nothing can get done and the urge to overcome each other's power gets stronger. Even having money to survive can be the stem of evil. It brings animosity, corruption, and causes so much hatred toward other people. I understand that because of the way the world works, you need money to survive, but excess seems to be just that. Excessive. There are people out there with so much money they don't know what to do with it, and then they feel like they have power over everyone else. There are others with such a greed for this excess that they'll do anything, even cheat their neighbor or closest family member, to get it. Even people who grew up on excess and suddenly lose it will do anything to get it back. I'm just happy now I have gotten out of my debt to the capitalistic world. I am now saving for when I can't work anymore or for when I get back on land and need some survival money to pursue my craft. I don't want to be judged by the labels I wear or the electronics I possess. If I get those things, it is a treat to myself. I just like looking cute sometimes and feeling cozy as far as the clothes I wear. I like to be entertained and to see places I've never seen. This all requires money of some sort. Hell, I've seen places that some with an excess of money haven't even seen yet AND I got PAID to do it. How smart is that one for ya? Yes, there are some out there with an excess who just sit and brood on it. Counting it from day to day and watching it grow. They don't benefit themselves or others. Yet, there are some that piddle away everything they have on useless things such as gambling so they can't survive. Gambling is a catch 22. Another story. It is meant for fun and the quick high of winning a game with a cash reward, not to gain a living. Some are very prosperous at it and may do very well. They call themselves professional gamblers. I believe these to be false prophets of the job market. Really they are professional investors. The real "professional gambler," I believe, has a big win and then sets aside some "rainy day" money for when the luck runs low and that will be enough to survive on. This is the money that allows them to pursue the kind of "fun" they call professional. The problem is the "fun" they call a career is glamorized and provides a false hope to the unlucky gambler with no money set aside thinking they could make a career out of it. Myself and most of my family have never had an excess. We've always treasured the gifts that we were granted because of a little extra. We've never taken them for granted that those gifts will always be there, but are treats when they do come available. Yet despite all that when large excess becomes available, those primal urges to get on top come surfacing in some. Jealousy, hurt, and anger ensue. I often find myself wishing I had an excess like some do so I could provide organizations and individuals with the amounts they desire for something good. I value my dollar and want certain goals in my life. In order to reach those goals, I do need money unfortunately. It pains me to see an organization that has done so much good struggle and be beaten down by corporate giants. It hurts me when someone on the street who is genuinely suffering becomes overshadowed by the untrustworthy who are on the streets because they wasted their earnings on drugs or other vices. It hurts when families get torn apart because of a little extra someone left behind when they left the living world. Yes, money can be evil. It would be idealistic if services could be provided if someone genuinely enjoyed doing those services and no exchange of money would be traded. If the world came to such a thing, I would enjoy my career choice immensely and offer many of my talents just because I can do them, but alas, I have to earn a living and it's sad that such an idealistic world doesn't exist. Instead of reaching a height of achievement for achievement's sake, most of the world reaches a height of achievement with an expecting reward with a value behind it.

Starting Over...

A new year. There are new visions, new goals, new prospects, new friends to be made, new experiences, and new places to go. 2007 brought great things and great adventures. It also brought sadness with various passings, but we all have to move on to the next level at some point in our lives. This will be a year of growth for me. I plan to take what I am getting now and use it so that it can grow for me in the future to give me some cushions in life. I plan to use the experiences I'm going through and the people I'm learning from and apply them for when I leave the fantasy world of ship life. At the moment I'm a bit obsessed with the books of J.K. Rowling. The Harry Potter series. I never read the books and I just got them for Christmas. It's a delight reading all the missing events and descriptions the movies just cannot capture. I also got the movies to watch them later again. It's very entertaining. It also parallels ship life in a way. I spend a great deal of time out here and face new challenges each time. I pack up my things and go away to a sort of fantastical camp where there is a skewed reality. It is also temporary. You come here, do what you need to do and then leave the life behind. The memories will always be there and the friendships you hope will last. You meet all sorts of interesting and different people, and you are in a world where everyone can relate to what is happening. It's a fantasy world. An escape from the realities of the normal world. Adventures around every corner. Why would I leave this lifestyle? Simply because there are other challenges in different environments. I can, from what I believe and understand, come back whenever a position opens, but rather sit out here out of touch with what is really going on and missing all the solid friendships I gained and my family, I'd rather find new experiences on solid ground. Ship entertaining can be very fulfilling depending on the shows and the people. Sometimes you're treated like a rock star and sing things you wouldn't normally always get to sing or dance to things you normally may not dance to. It's such a closed environment out here as well and everybody knows what's going on with each other most of the time. It's also like a family. It's only on very rare occasions that you can feel alone out here. Yet there are drawbacks. It's like disappearing for those you leave behind. Like going into space and losing chunks of time. Things happen and you come back to a load of change. It's a lot to deal with when the job is finished. I plan to make a home for a bit in New York City when I'm through. I'm not exactly sure at this point what I'll do for cash when I get there, but I have 10 months to think about it and prepare. Cruising is like a drug and like drugs they are addictive and an easy escape. However you can only live a sheltered life for so long.