Tender

Tender

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

A cry in the dark

Hindsight

The overwhelm hangs heavy
whispers, give up
a salve, an out
but then what? 
after I give over 
stop trying, stop striving?
what is left, when I admit
my stillborn ideas never had a chance?
who will I be, when I am not being
anything at all?


Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Plain Words

Fallen on the path (CAI)

We rightly expect plain words
Will bequeath a clean translation
Transform chaos into meaning;
Instead, they lead us on 
until we're falling down the garden path
Mud-caked, crying,
Save me!

Sunday, September 1, 2019

Time is the Currency of Capitalism

Make no mistake: money is not the currency of capitalism. The currency of our system is Time.

Our most limited resource, our most valuable.

We spend our time.

When we spend our time on someone else's problems in exchange for pay, we are doing so to buy something.

Security. A place to live. Food to eat. A vacation. Medication. These are the things we need to buy with our time.

Money is just the intermediary, the translating mechanism that allows us to spend time in one place and buy value in another. Spend time working for one company, buy a place to live from a different one.

There is an attitude in business that people are lucky to have jobs, should be grateful to be paid, and because they are paid, should be happy to do whatever is asked of them.

This attitude pretends that money is the currency. It devalues the choice each human must make every day about how we spend our limited and temporary little pool of time in a body on Earth.

There is an approach that says businesses are lucky when talented, capable people are willing to spend their time for what the business is willing to offer. Businesses should be grateful when people spend their time on business goals, foregoing their own relationships, health, interests, and purposes.

This approach, however, is not attractive to people with the power of knowing that they can hold time ransom, that the people who are selling their time are compelled to do so by fear of losing housing, not having food, falling short of participation in society. Why would anyone offer respect when they can prey on fear and wield power to force their way?

Why indeed?