“Most of the money I spent on liquor and women… the rest I just wasted.”
I love that quote. I love it because it is in many ways like myself… not what is expected when first going in. I think that many of us are that way.
We seem one thing at first meeting but are less than, or more than, (or possibly just “other than”) what we seemed after people get to know us.
Society has norms and expectations. They vary from society to society and culture to culture, but they are the ironclad. Certain things are expected and must be done that way and if you deviate from them, then you are… well… deviant. And society knows how to deal with deviants. (Usually very harshly.)
I could explore why this is but sociologist have done that in much greater depth than I could. And philosophers have acknowledged and pointed out the contradictions in the societies for millennia. Many, of course, were persecuted for it by those same societies.
Back to the quote. The society I live in has expectations for spending money wisely and properly. (In fact, it doesn’t mind spending money rather than saving it – it just wants us to spend it on material things such as newer cars, fashionable clothes, movies, soft drinks, and other ephemera.) It doesn’t mind us spending it on things that are here today and gone tomorrow. That in and of itself is not a waste. But spending it on certain things (such as liquor or women) is a huge waste.
The funny thing is that this society isn’t against spending on pleasurable things. In fact it encourages vacations, trips to Disney World, pleasure cruises, eating comfort foods, finding escape in movies, television, and video games. I am sure that a whole host of other pleasures come to mind that society allows, even encourages spending on. But definitely not liquor and women.
I know. Someone is going to say that the liquor and romance industry is a huge one, thus refuting my contention. Ah, but does society reward an individual for spending money on liquor or women? It certainly rewards us for spending on other things. I would ask that we not confuse tolerance with acceptance.
I think that the liquor and romance industry thrive, not because society accepts or encourages it, but rather because it provides for basic human needs. I often tell those who come for advice “don’t bet against human nature.” If your business depends on humans cleaning up their act or going against their natures, then don’t expect to get rich… or even stay in business.
And the quote? (Remember the quote?) I love it because it turns our expectations upside down. It causes us to examine (if only momentarily) our values, our expectations, and ourselves.
