Thursday, March 10, 2011

Bowing Down to the Gods of Capitalism


 By Christine Clark

I feel really flappy and scattered today. Really, I feel that way on any day I do not have work in my inbox. Such days loom long and large—full of space in which I will have no opportunity to bow down to the Gods of Capitalism.
And, other than Sunday, I feel like I have done nothing unless I am earning something, large or small—even a pittance.
My day often begins early. A 5:35 a.m. wake-up call sometimes has me in the car driving my son to physical training at the high school. Does it make me any money? No. Next on the agenda is caring for our animals and then caring for my home, inside and out, doing paperwork, organizing, cooking, gardening, planning, studying, and interacting with family and friends.
Do those things—the daily to-do list items—matter? Indeed they do, because without them, there is no point in bowing to those other gods. But the Capitalism Gods demand more—so much more, because unless I kneel (a.k.a. sit at my computer and work), the rest of the things that make up a life, my life, your life, any life, all fall aside. The Capitalism Gods demand their share, their sacrifices, their penance should one commit the sin of ignoring their edicts.
Ignore them I will not. However, I want to find a way of bowing that does not hurt my knees so much, a way of bowing that enriches me, but with infinitely more than dollar signs.
How do you bow to the Gods of Capitalism? What ways have you discovered that save your knees?

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