Placing Value

I recently heard someone making a very good point about how much money our athletes, actors and entertainers make. As I began to agree, I stopped; not because I don't agree, but, because I do. Athletes, actors and entertainers make way too much money, but the reason they make this much money is because of you and me.

Yes, we are the reason why someone who plays a game gets paid millions. We are the reason why someone who acts in a film gets paid millions. Yes, you and I are the reason why singers and songwriters make millions. I was going to make a comment here about mediocrity, but I will exercise great restraint and not. You might ask yourself, how am I to blame for this? Easy, you value these things more than you value other things.

We live in the midst of capitalism, and capitalism is driven by money and profit. The economic system of capitalism is driven by the private ownership of the means of production inside the idea of a competitive market place. You and I are that marketplace. We buy those products that make others money. The more products we buy the more money they make. The less we buy the less profit they make, and if we stop buying their products all together, the make no money at all.

Why do those who play a sport, sing a song and act in a production make more than those who teach our youth, protect our freedom and save our lives? Easy, you and I value the sport, the song and the act more than we value our youth, our freedom and our lives. This is the harsh reality we must come to accept, unless we no longer live in a capitalist society?

But, we do still live in a capitalist society, and if we do, then we have no one to blame but ourselves. We still buy the tickets, CDs and the popcorn no matter the price. No one is forces us to buy these things... yet. The harsh reality is that we still refuse to give up our comforts no matter the cost. We need to either stop buying the tickets, CDs and popcorn, or we need to stop complaining about those who make all this money and place the blame where it belongs, at our own feet.

What do you value? Do you really want to find out? Then, open your budget and examine where you spend your money? Are you like me, lamenting the cost of health care, but never once questioning the cost of going to that movie at night. What would happen if we all suddenly shifted our value to something else? What would happen if the money we would normally spend on a movie or a CD was spent in another way? What would happen if, instead of buying those season tickets, we sent our children to a better school or gave to foreign missions? Well, we would be placing value on what was really important to us, and not on what brings us comfort and contentment.