The Root of All Evil

It has been said that money is the root of all evil. And today is one of those days that I agree.

I believe money is the thing about which I stress most. I work three jobs most of the time in order to live "well" (which is a relative term). I live comfortably in a very nice pink house with a friend and two dogs. I can keep food in my refrigerator and I can go out with my friends and I can even buy plants for the garden. So, by my standards, I live well.

I don't need cable. I don't need high speed internet. I don't need lots of new, expensive clothes (I shop Payless, Target, Ross, Marshalls, etc.). I don't need a new car or new furniture. I don't need a lot of what I consider luxeries.

Money has never motivated me. Duh - I work in the theatre. And my other jobs are non-profit. There are things more important to me: being passionate about my work (or at least much of the time), feeling I'm connecting to people, enjoying work, and not having to take my work home with me!

So why is money, on this day, the root of all evil? Because my housemate is in negotiations for a new job which will pay her a TON of money. If she gets what she is negotiating, she will make more in two months than I make in a year.

I am happy for her. And yet I'm pissed off, too. And admitedly, I'm a wee bit jealous.

This country has a skewed value system. This is not to diminish what my housemate does. On the contrary. It just confounds me why teachers, those in non-profit, artists, and those of the same ilk are so undervalued monetarily. Yet teachers hold our future in their hands . . . and non-profits serve in numerous ways, and artists push the boundaries of cultural ideals and ideas. What survives from ancient culture and is celebrated?

I think of the money she will be making and what I could do with it. I could start checking things off my someday list, that's for sure. I wouldn't have to work three jobs at any given time. I could buy a house. I could travel. I could donate more to the charities dear to my heart.

And yet it's a trade-off, isn't it? A wise friend and co-worker said to me, as we took a break to get a cup of coffee, the passion, joy, and fun I have at work (in essence my "pleasure") is worth all that extra money.

Would I sacrifice Wookie crank calls and Popple talk for that kind of cash?

Never.