 Joelinho10 via Wikimedia Commons. |  Photograph © Andrew Dunn, http://www.andrewdunnphoto.com |
Considering the long, long list of acts people (myself included) do which boggle the mind, I began thinking about how folks will spend $10-15 for a themed restaurant cheeseburger while at the same time many won't lay out even two or three bucks for a book (or work of art, tip for the street musician's instrument case, "insert" creative endeavor...)
I could do what most of us do: accept this "reality" as the "human condition," and go on about my day. But what fun would that be? I rather enjoy my little bit of craziness when it comes to thinking about why we do the things we do.
As you can see, I'm still writing, so I haven't totally given up on the idea that each of us has some level of ability to co-create reality to a certain extent. If you move the stick in your backyard a centimeter, did you not alter reality?
In that spirit, I'll endeavor to break out my inner "salesman" and influence you, beloved reader of this blog, on the true value of a book as opposed to a cheeseburger.
(Note: This post's mainly focused on us meat-eaters, but much of this could still be applied if you're spending $10-15 bucks on veggie burgers in restaurants...That said, eating more vegetables, fruits, nuts and so on is better than eating tremendous amounts of meat (see "The 3 Reasons to Give Up Meat And 1 Not To" Ben Ralston, elephantjournal.com) And please, please read this post in its entirety as humor first and foremost. It is intended to be taken humorously, hopefully to share a few laughs while we think; it's not intended to be purposefully taken out of context, etc.)
Keep in mind, this post is for all of us who don't have money pouring in from the rafters. This means, us folks who aren't able to buy any new $20-30 hardcover book we want from "insert national chain bookstore" and simultaneously eat $10 cheeseburgers (or $10 veggie burgers) for breakfast, lunch and dinner. (I'm kidding here... who eats cheeseburgers for breakfast, lunch and dinner?)
1) Books can make you rich. Cheeseburgers can make you poor.
Nearly ANY book you read can make you richer than eating a cheeseburger. To take but one of millions of examples, let's suppose you come across a book such as "Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money - That the Poor and the Middle Class Do Not!" by Robert T. Kiyosaki, an important book that isn't just about "money," but about the deep, serious flaws in a dysfunctional education "system."
Now to be clear, I don't for one second equate being "rich" with money. On the contrary, I equate being rich with love, friendship and knowledge. It is better to have one real friend who has your back than dollars in your pocket.
To that end, I recommend reading books from many authors and many fields.
Should we trade hours of our labor and life which we can never get back, in order to go out to the themed restaurant and buy the $10-15 cheeseburger?
Or should we read a book that might help us gain the knowledge to put those hours (time, labor, energy) to better use that might improve our lives in some fashion, either immediately or down the road?
Let's not forget what we do (or do not do) today is exactly what we will be doing tomorrow.
Let's choose in a free manner, but let's also take the serious responsibility we share as human beings of being as clear as possible about our choices, while carefully examining all of our choices.
2) Books are more fun than cheeseburgers.
To play "Devil's advocate" for a moment, I expect the main argument in favor of buying a cheeseburger over a book is that many perceive cheeseburgers as being "more fun" than books are. (I'd expect that this might be an underlying mainstream economic mechanistic description... it may describe a certain level of reality, but doesn't change or influence, nor describe reality, or even all the known interconnected realities, in its entirety...)
The basic economic thought/argument (this is mostly a subconscious or unconscious thinking or feeling) goes as follows:
"Cheeseburgers taste good. Moreover, when I pay $10 for a cheeseburger, I'm paying not only for the cheeseburger, but for the fun of going out with friends, being made to feel important by being waited on by the staff, feeling good about myself and enjoying the ambiance of the themed restaurant."
But what happens after the hour or so you spend at the restaurant is finished? Most likely, we feel bloated because we ate too much (which I often do any time I'm at a restaurant), our friends have all gone to their own homes, or gone their separate ways, our wallet is significantly lighter, as well as our gasoline tanks, and the restaurant owners (likewise the factory farm owners, or the overall owners of this particular system that the masses buy into) have more money in their pockets.
True, the cheeseburger tasted good at the time.
But let's be honest, like many other things we pay money for, what we are really paying for is temporary fun, not long-term joy. Is everything for sale truly worth buying? If we are selling something, are we selling something that is temporary or long-term?
In fact, books can give you MORE fun than cheeseburgers. Believe it or not, books can be far more social than the typical gathering around cheeseburgers (or beer and hot wings).
Have you ever joined a book reading group?
3) Books can make you healthier. Cheeseburgers can make you unhealthier.
Reading well-written health books, meaning books that fully support first and foremost absolute unconditional love for oneself and others; books that are non-judging, non-critical and focused on your holistic health, meaning your total well-being (spiritual, mental, emotional, not only the body), along with nutrition and exercise, can help us build our own level of well being and feeling better each day.
In contrast, the literature and experiences of the negative effects that too many cheeseburgers can have on our body is abundant. After all, the "cheeseburger diet" nearly killed documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock. (See Spurlock's 2004 film, "Super Size Me.")
(Note: I won't even get into the vast costs of health care and impact to families tied to early deaths and reduced ability to fully function, from over-eating in the United States alone. To be clear, while I believe over-eating is problematic in the United States, I'm highly skeptical of the so-called "obesity epidemic" bandwagon many officials and policy makers have leaped onto. I don't support counter-productive, dysfunctional slippery slope "good intentions" such as those purporting the "all-powerful, all-knowing" State should be in the business of mandating/forcing people to buy two soda drinks rather than one, and other such nonsense. I've begun thinking more and more that the so-called "obesity epidemic" (not my phrase, but the media's phrase) has much more to do with a massive system of force/low-wages than anything else.)
Again, the choice whether to buy a book or a cheeseburger (and accompanying soda, fried fries/onion rings, fried, fried, fried) is pretty clear:
I don't recall ever seeing books, in and of themselves, give someone diabetes or prevent a mother or father from hiking a nature trail with their kids.
4) When you buy a book, you mostly support art, creativity and learning. When you buy a cheeseburger, you mostly support extremely powerful industrial complexes.
We co-create the world we want to live in. Our only real vote is our role & responsibility co-creating the current reality of our lives/world is through the consciousness behind such choices as exactly how we spend our money. In this sense, "money" is one of our tools of influencing the world we live in.
Consider that right now there is an author or artist out there, perhaps in your town or neighborhood, toiling away. The heat has been shut off and she/he can barely keep the lights on. Plus the landlord is pounding at the door demanding rent while the author is struggling to get the words onto the page.
Why is this author so poor? Yet, money pours into the coffers of those selling everything under the sun aimed at the temporary (or those things which fool many in terms of true value, and thus take much time, labor, energy from many)?
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying "buy any book," or that some books aren't everyone's cup of tea, or that every book is worth buying.
But the reason many authors are so poor is not necessarily because their work is not well-written or because they're not sharing something of real quality or real value.
The reason is often that we live in a world of false perceptions, lack of understanding/knowledge of true value, lost meanings, broken dreams and lost opportunities.
Why does an author or artist, against all odds, toil away for years with little or no money, still writing or painting, doing community theater or any other art form?
Artists do art for LOVE: In fact, the MOST VALUABLE THING IN THIS OR ANY OTHER UNIVERSE.
In its best form, art is for the goal of increasing knowledge, consciousness, understanding and compassion, for sharing a deep, human conversation/communication with YOU, because in the heart of the artist is a great love for you and for humanity.
Obviously, one won't get this out of a cheeseburger or any themed restaurant experience.
When I think of these things, I often think of this excerpt from the beautifully written song, "Spring Street," by Dar Williams:
I could do what most of us do: accept this "reality" as the "human condition," and go on about my day. But what fun would that be? I rather enjoy my little bit of craziness when it comes to thinking about why we do the things we do.
As you can see, I'm still writing, so I haven't totally given up on the idea that each of us has some level of ability to co-create reality to a certain extent. If you move the stick in your backyard a centimeter, did you not alter reality?
In that spirit, I'll endeavor to break out my inner "salesman" and influence you, beloved reader of this blog, on the true value of a book as opposed to a cheeseburger.
(Note: This post's mainly focused on us meat-eaters, but much of this could still be applied if you're spending $10-15 bucks on veggie burgers in restaurants...That said, eating more vegetables, fruits, nuts and so on is better than eating tremendous amounts of meat (see "The 3 Reasons to Give Up Meat And 1 Not To" Ben Ralston, elephantjournal.com) And please, please read this post in its entirety as humor first and foremost. It is intended to be taken humorously, hopefully to share a few laughs while we think; it's not intended to be purposefully taken out of context, etc.)
Keep in mind, this post is for all of us who don't have money pouring in from the rafters. This means, us folks who aren't able to buy any new $20-30 hardcover book we want from "insert national chain bookstore" and simultaneously eat $10 cheeseburgers (or $10 veggie burgers) for breakfast, lunch and dinner. (I'm kidding here... who eats cheeseburgers for breakfast, lunch and dinner?)
1) Books can make you rich. Cheeseburgers can make you poor.
Nearly ANY book you read can make you richer than eating a cheeseburger. To take but one of millions of examples, let's suppose you come across a book such as "Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money - That the Poor and the Middle Class Do Not!" by Robert T. Kiyosaki, an important book that isn't just about "money," but about the deep, serious flaws in a dysfunctional education "system."
Now to be clear, I don't for one second equate being "rich" with money. On the contrary, I equate being rich with love, friendship and knowledge. It is better to have one real friend who has your back than dollars in your pocket.
To that end, I recommend reading books from many authors and many fields.
Should we trade hours of our labor and life which we can never get back, in order to go out to the themed restaurant and buy the $10-15 cheeseburger?
Or should we read a book that might help us gain the knowledge to put those hours (time, labor, energy) to better use that might improve our lives in some fashion, either immediately or down the road?
Let's not forget what we do (or do not do) today is exactly what we will be doing tomorrow.
Let's choose in a free manner, but let's also take the serious responsibility we share as human beings of being as clear as possible about our choices, while carefully examining all of our choices.
2) Books are more fun than cheeseburgers.
To play "Devil's advocate" for a moment, I expect the main argument in favor of buying a cheeseburger over a book is that many perceive cheeseburgers as being "more fun" than books are. (I'd expect that this might be an underlying mainstream economic mechanistic description... it may describe a certain level of reality, but doesn't change or influence, nor describe reality, or even all the known interconnected realities, in its entirety...)
The basic economic thought/argument (this is mostly a subconscious or unconscious thinking or feeling) goes as follows:
"Cheeseburgers taste good. Moreover, when I pay $10 for a cheeseburger, I'm paying not only for the cheeseburger, but for the fun of going out with friends, being made to feel important by being waited on by the staff, feeling good about myself and enjoying the ambiance of the themed restaurant."
But what happens after the hour or so you spend at the restaurant is finished? Most likely, we feel bloated because we ate too much (which I often do any time I'm at a restaurant), our friends have all gone to their own homes, or gone their separate ways, our wallet is significantly lighter, as well as our gasoline tanks, and the restaurant owners (likewise the factory farm owners, or the overall owners of this particular system that the masses buy into) have more money in their pockets.
True, the cheeseburger tasted good at the time.
But let's be honest, like many other things we pay money for, what we are really paying for is temporary fun, not long-term joy. Is everything for sale truly worth buying? If we are selling something, are we selling something that is temporary or long-term?
In fact, books can give you MORE fun than cheeseburgers. Believe it or not, books can be far more social than the typical gathering around cheeseburgers (or beer and hot wings).
Have you ever joined a book reading group?
- Everyone in the group reads the same book, then gets together at someone's home to discuss the ideas.
- Usually you spend more time with these folks because you've put more effort into it.
- You increase your knowledge AND your social consciousness through the group discussion.
- In addition, your relationships within this group can be much deeper and more authentic than the occasional restaurant party in an artificial, contrived atmosphere.
3) Books can make you healthier. Cheeseburgers can make you unhealthier.
Reading well-written health books, meaning books that fully support first and foremost absolute unconditional love for oneself and others; books that are non-judging, non-critical and focused on your holistic health, meaning your total well-being (spiritual, mental, emotional, not only the body), along with nutrition and exercise, can help us build our own level of well being and feeling better each day.
In contrast, the literature and experiences of the negative effects that too many cheeseburgers can have on our body is abundant. After all, the "cheeseburger diet" nearly killed documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock. (See Spurlock's 2004 film, "Super Size Me.")
(Note: I won't even get into the vast costs of health care and impact to families tied to early deaths and reduced ability to fully function, from over-eating in the United States alone. To be clear, while I believe over-eating is problematic in the United States, I'm highly skeptical of the so-called "obesity epidemic" bandwagon many officials and policy makers have leaped onto. I don't support counter-productive, dysfunctional slippery slope "good intentions" such as those purporting the "all-powerful, all-knowing" State should be in the business of mandating/forcing people to buy two soda drinks rather than one, and other such nonsense. I've begun thinking more and more that the so-called "obesity epidemic" (not my phrase, but the media's phrase) has much more to do with a massive system of force/low-wages than anything else.)
Again, the choice whether to buy a book or a cheeseburger (and accompanying soda, fried fries/onion rings, fried, fried, fried) is pretty clear:
I don't recall ever seeing books, in and of themselves, give someone diabetes or prevent a mother or father from hiking a nature trail with their kids.
4) When you buy a book, you mostly support art, creativity and learning. When you buy a cheeseburger, you mostly support extremely powerful industrial complexes.
We co-create the world we want to live in. Our only real vote is our role & responsibility co-creating the current reality of our lives/world is through the consciousness behind such choices as exactly how we spend our money. In this sense, "money" is one of our tools of influencing the world we live in.
Consider that right now there is an author or artist out there, perhaps in your town or neighborhood, toiling away. The heat has been shut off and she/he can barely keep the lights on. Plus the landlord is pounding at the door demanding rent while the author is struggling to get the words onto the page.
Why is this author so poor? Yet, money pours into the coffers of those selling everything under the sun aimed at the temporary (or those things which fool many in terms of true value, and thus take much time, labor, energy from many)?
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying "buy any book," or that some books aren't everyone's cup of tea, or that every book is worth buying.
But the reason many authors are so poor is not necessarily because their work is not well-written or because they're not sharing something of real quality or real value.
The reason is often that we live in a world of false perceptions, lack of understanding/knowledge of true value, lost meanings, broken dreams and lost opportunities.
Why does an author or artist, against all odds, toil away for years with little or no money, still writing or painting, doing community theater or any other art form?
Artists do art for LOVE: In fact, the MOST VALUABLE THING IN THIS OR ANY OTHER UNIVERSE.
In its best form, art is for the goal of increasing knowledge, consciousness, understanding and compassion, for sharing a deep, human conversation/communication with YOU, because in the heart of the artist is a great love for you and for humanity.
Obviously, one won't get this out of a cheeseburger or any themed restaurant experience.
When I think of these things, I often think of this excerpt from the beautifully written song, "Spring Street," by Dar Williams:
I can find a small apartment
Where a struggling artist died
And pretend because I pay the rent
I know that pain inside
5) Everything considered, books are better for both humanity and the Earth than cheeseburgers.
While there is debate on whether e-books or paper books are better for the environment, it's pretty clear the environmental impact done by the entire book industry, while significant, is nothing compared to the environmental havoc wrought by the beef industry, along with everything we humans do globally surrounding the massive system of factory farms.
In "How Our Food Choices can Help Save the Environment," Steve Boyan, Ph.D., writes:
While there is debate on whether e-books or paper books are better for the environment, it's pretty clear the environmental impact done by the entire book industry, while significant, is nothing compared to the environmental havoc wrought by the beef industry, along with everything we humans do globally surrounding the massive system of factory farms.
In "How Our Food Choices can Help Save the Environment," Steve Boyan, Ph.D., writes:
To clear rainforest to produce beef for one hamburger produces 75 kg of CO2. Eating one pound of hamburger does the same damage as driving your car for more than three weeks.
In "From Mid-East Oil to London Broil: A Comparison of Energy Inputs in Feedlot versus Grass-Fed Beef" (Acres USA) Jivan Lee, Diana Nezamutinova & Todd Paul calculate each feedlot steer uses about 208 gallons of crude oil.
The authors made this calculation in 2005, the year I finally got home after back-to-back military deployments to Iraq and Kuwait.
While far too many officials (lying wolves in sheep's clothing claiming to represent "We, the People") publicly claimed the Iraq War was about "freedom and democracy," in fact, on a fundamental level, the war was all about oil, just as the vast majority of wars throughout history are about the never-ending battle over exactly who controls the Earth's natural resources and who controls the wealth and power that comes from those resources.
I expect, even with fluctuations, the amount of oil each steer consumes remains significant. I've seen similar figures in other publications. National Geographic had a good pictorial that showed a steer with numerous barrels of oil stacked beside him to show exactly how much oil one bovine yanks out of the ground and burns up.
This bring us back to the key topic I'm interested in, both in my life and my own writing: What is the true cost?
What is the true cost of the cheesy burger? Yes, it delighted our taste buds for a brief moment and perhaps helped us enjoy a night out on the town with our friends. It satisfied our temporary hunger.
But, like many temporary things for sale under the sun, it did not necessarily satisfy our intellectual or spiritual hunger, nor our deepest needs/understanding which make us fully human.
The truth is the cheesy burger cost much more than the $10 we paid at the restaurant.
We may have spent all our money, time, energy and the Earth's resources on the cheesy burger, but lost the opportunity to read a new book, to learn something new, or discuss/share a valuable book with our friends and loved ones.
Let's buy a book today. Let's share that book with our loved ones. Let's take that one simple action that we can all do, which perhaps could help us all figure out how to change things for the better (meaning create more love and freedom) on every level.
Theodore Webb is a poet, novelist, short story author and playwright. Webb is the author of the dystopian fiction novels, "Lifeline,” “Crucible,” “Colossus” and “Inferno,” the first four books in “The STARLING Series," available for Kindle on Amazon.com. (Note: All four books are available as one volume, titled, "The STARLING Connection.") His short stories are also available online, including "Desperate Engine" on Amazon and "Family Hour" available in various formats on Smashwords.com.
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The authors made this calculation in 2005, the year I finally got home after back-to-back military deployments to Iraq and Kuwait.
While far too many officials (lying wolves in sheep's clothing claiming to represent "We, the People") publicly claimed the Iraq War was about "freedom and democracy," in fact, on a fundamental level, the war was all about oil, just as the vast majority of wars throughout history are about the never-ending battle over exactly who controls the Earth's natural resources and who controls the wealth and power that comes from those resources.
I expect, even with fluctuations, the amount of oil each steer consumes remains significant. I've seen similar figures in other publications. National Geographic had a good pictorial that showed a steer with numerous barrels of oil stacked beside him to show exactly how much oil one bovine yanks out of the ground and burns up.
This bring us back to the key topic I'm interested in, both in my life and my own writing: What is the true cost?
What is the true cost of the cheesy burger? Yes, it delighted our taste buds for a brief moment and perhaps helped us enjoy a night out on the town with our friends. It satisfied our temporary hunger.
But, like many temporary things for sale under the sun, it did not necessarily satisfy our intellectual or spiritual hunger, nor our deepest needs/understanding which make us fully human.
The truth is the cheesy burger cost much more than the $10 we paid at the restaurant.
We may have spent all our money, time, energy and the Earth's resources on the cheesy burger, but lost the opportunity to read a new book, to learn something new, or discuss/share a valuable book with our friends and loved ones.
Let's buy a book today. Let's share that book with our loved ones. Let's take that one simple action that we can all do, which perhaps could help us all figure out how to change things for the better (meaning create more love and freedom) on every level.
Theodore Webb is a poet, novelist, short story author and playwright. Webb is the author of the dystopian fiction novels, "Lifeline,” “Crucible,” “Colossus” and “Inferno,” the first four books in “The STARLING Series," available for Kindle on Amazon.com. (Note: All four books are available as one volume, titled, "The STARLING Connection.") His short stories are also available online, including "Desperate Engine" on Amazon and "Family Hour" available in various formats on Smashwords.com.
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