It's All Relative

In the midst of my overwhelmingly busy schedule last quarter, I went to the law library where I planned to get about two hours of studying in before I had to go to work. I figured the law library a good choice because I don't usually get too distracted there. I however made the mistake of convincing myself that I might have a new email waiting for me in my inbox, regardless of the fact that I had only checked it a little over an hour ago. I'm sure my subconscious was on a one-track path to procrastination.

To my dismay, I received nothing new in my inbox that could keep me away from my usual "cubby". So, of course, I had to make sure I was not overlooking anything of importance in my yahoo/junk mail account. You know... the one you give out to websites that you know will send you tons of mail unworthy of sorting through everyday (or at least days you don't feel like procrastinating on).Well, that day I sorted… very well. In my inbox, I came across an email telling me that they were "confused" as to why I hadn't "claimed the three million dollars [I] won." So I clicked the link with both hope and skepticism. I searched all over their website to find my 3 mil with no more success than finding more links that linked to links. And pop-ups. Before I knew it I was signing up my yahoo account yet again to sort through and dispose of more junk mail, with the possibility of getting my "Free I pod!" Those advertisers are soooo clever. Regardless of how many times I told myself that it's "a scam" or "too good to be true", something inside me kept on fighting those instincts away.

After an hour and a half of the 'precious' time I planned on using to study had so tediously come and gone, my instincts started to retaliate. As much as I wanted that free, easy three million dollars, I knew that it was more about taking the easy way out. Having all of my problems and stresses with money, so miraculously disappear. Money has a very interesting power. It can cause what seems to be the majority of problems in the world, while at the same time seduce people into thinking that it can fix all of those problems as well. Money brings stress, anxiety, jealousy, and greed when you are short on it (as most of the world is) and an interesting breed of 'pseudo comfort' to those who have it- at least for a little while.

It seems as though everybody always needs more money, but that need is always relative. It is related to what one believes to be reality. For example, reality to a sixteen-year-old girl who lives in Bellevue might be that you are "poor" if you don't have your own car, a big house, and nice clothes. When compared to the rest of her friends who have all of these things and more, one might understand where she is coming from. But when compared to the rest of the world, where "poor" is literally having no food to eat, she is living in luxury. Most would say "at least she has a house," or "at least she doesn't have to worry about being clothed or fed."

We, as Americans, live in our own little desensitized world; desensitized from the reality of what is "need" and what is "want". Unfortunately most Americans are never sensitized to the needs of the world, nor do many want to be. We are sheltered in our capitalistic and money-oriented society. The unordinary luxurious lives we lead takes us away from the ordinary; reality.

A man on the bus once told me that we are exposed to over 3,000 labels a day. I don't know about you, but I'm going to venture that most of us don't take notice to this in the least. If that's not desensitization, I don't know what is.