"We alone can devalue gold
by not caring
if it falls or rises
in the market place.
Wherever there is gold
there is a chain, you know,
and if your chain
is gold
so much the worse
for you.
Feather,shells,
and sea-shaped stones
are all as rare.
This could be our revolution:
To love what is plentiful
as much as
what is scarce."
-Alice Walker
While reading "The Bet" and "How Much Land Does a Man Need?", I was struck with a feeling of nostalgia. Memories of my eighth grade English class came rushing in and immediately I thought of this poem. Both "The Bet" and "How Much Land Does a Man Need?" teach us the dangers of seeking material wealth. No matter how much we have or how much week seek the end result is never satisfaction or happiness. The lawyer in the end of "The Bet," learns to "devalue gold." He realizes that the pursuit of earthly possessions is a pointless one. In his letter he says, "Everything is worthless, transient, illusory and as deceptive as a mirage." Those words could not be any truer. We go to school, to get a diploma, to get a degree, to get a job, while holding on to the false idea that we can satiate our wants with the wealth we might gain. But it's never enough. And it will never be enough. Our true desires cannot be bought. Like Pahom, we leave it all behind.
This is our chance to start a revolution. Let us devalue gold. Let us release the chains of greed that drag us to our grave. Whether rich or poor we face the same end. There's a choice to be made. This could be our revolution. To love what is plentiful as much as what is scarce.
I totally agree with you Genever. In fact, ever since I came back from my summer vacation to the beautiful island of Grenada, I realized something. I realized that I don't need five or six alarm clocks to wake me up, or to have a storage of processed food in my house. Being back there thought me to truly appreciate nature and all it had to offer me. With the cow that woke me up at 6 o' clock every morning or the beautiful sun light that warmed the cool ocean breeze. If we, the American public realized that having material things to this day don't make us truly happy then we have a serious problem.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Genever. We live in an extremely materialistic society. Materials are nice, but they can't be a motive for everything we do. I loved reading The Bet because it emphasized that no matter how much someone has, they can't take it with them. Heaven has no class system and people tend to forget that. It's really hard to be impartial to what society expects people to be. That's why I want to move from America. Materialism is expensive and I want to live a life that isn't all about buying and having a bunch of stuff.
ReplyDeleteGreat post and I totally agree! Our society is completely based on materials. We focus too much on items that we believe to have value because society tells us that's the way things are. This generation especially needs to learn the value of things around them and what's actually important.
ReplyDeleteI agree Genever! We live in a very materialistic world, we have no choice in my eyes. If you do not decide to get the diploma, get the job, or gain some material things what does the world think of you? One of the celebrities I admire, Shailene Woodley, who played Tris in Divergent, lives a very natural lifestyle. She forages for her own berries, drinks spring water, makes her own toothpaste, makeup etc and owns little clothing. She does this all while being one of hollywoods rising stars which means being critized. If she can do it, can we?
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