A BuzzFlash Reader Contribution

CONTRIBUTOR ARCHIVES  

I Am the Prodigal Son

A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION

Long before hearing of this book entitled Affluenza on BuzzFlash, I felt I had come 'full-circle'. Even years ago, when teeth-whitening toothpaste was first advertised, I recall thinking disgustedly to myself for the first time, how this commercial, especially the televised version (and others like it), would 'freak' people out and prompt them to run out and purchase the product because 'everyone else will be doing it' and they'd be the only people without perfectly white teeth simply because someone had a brilliant idea for lining their companies' overstuffed pockets with more money at society's emotional and financial expense.

Due to gross corporate manipulation, the natural aging process has unfortunately become taboo, though there is NOTHING wrong with 'growing old gracefully' - in fact, it makes one distinguished. Once upon a time, our elders were respected and revered for their experience, knowledge, and intelligence and they did not dye their hair or utilize 'anti-aging' cream - embodying the three above-mentioned qualities. Our elders will always possess the qualities worthy of respect because it is AGE and not a smooth face or white teeth, dark hair or accumulated junk that results in experience, knowledge, and cumulative intelligence, whether or not this fact is acknowledged. This is just a tiny fraction of the big picture that has leapt out at me over the years.

In 7th grade, I began attending a small country high school for 7th through 12th grades - I begged my mom to let me shave my legs, because "I'm in high school now." Now I wish I hadn't. Not only is it natural to have hair on your legs even for a woman, but my hair would still be light in color and silky - not coarse (and the hair under my arms would not itch my upper arms a day after shaving), and I would have saved a bundle of money over the years and in the future, were it not for all the razors and shaving cream I am consequently forced to purchase.

In high school, it took me two hours to get ready for school because society taught me that I had to wear makeup and sport a 'permanent' – which MUST be daily curled to perfection - in order to be accepted. You know what? IT DIDN'T WORK (which is necessarily revealing about the effects of advertising and the 'magical', 'transforming' qualities of such products) - and I still did it because I feared that the limited status I clung to would be snatched out of my grasp. That's how much I was affected by societal 'peer pressure'. My money would've been more wisely spent on a Bible and the time SPENT to read it. After all, Jesus loves me no matter what, and no matter what I wear or what I buy, I CAN'T TAKE IT WITH ME WHEN I DIE!! Even as an adult I clung to wearing 'under-eye concealer' and mascara until I realized two years ago, that I was only doing it in remaining deference to others' opinions of my appearance, not of my own desire. Bare of makeup, I do not run screaming from my mirrored reflection - truthfully, I only look in the mirror when I wash my face. I am satisfied with my natural, God-given appearance. I do not hate you because you are beautiful (due to the application of makeup and touched up photos). Blind people don't require a mirror to comb their hair, neither do I. [Most] men are satisfied with their natural appearance and none wear makeup and now, in spite of society's blindly imposed rules thankfully, so am I.

Not out of desire for fame or being singled out, but 40 years from now you will know who I am when you pass me on the streets, for I will be the only woman not wearing cosmetics, jewelry or expensive clothing and high heels, and the only person with a wrinkled face, gray hair, and yellow teeth, though hopefully none of them will be missing! And I will be dismissed as a know-nothing, useless-waste-of-time-and-oxygen, loony old lady. Oh, well! Ah, the kicks and kickbacks amassed by Avon due to America's gullibility!

My socks, I noticed this weekend are showing significant signs of wear in the heels, but I will not purchase new ones until the wear becomes holes. My well-worn socks are clean as well as my body, although I do not wear cologne (I do, however wear tea tree oil deodorant). If you want the jewelry in the back of my back room closet down south, that I have not gotten around to throwing out, you can have it.

I am not overcome by the desire or the need to be in possession of the latest fashions, the most popular labels or name-brand products, or to be seen in fashionable stores in order to impress a facade of 'wealth' upon my friends, relatives, and neighbors so they'll think I'm 'somebody'. Indeed, we would all be considerably more well off if we hadn't engaged in such wanton, wasteful purchases. Recently I experienced a degree of 'culture shock' upon going to an 'outlet mall' with a friend and simply SEEING all that ridiculous stuff filled me with the overwhelming desire that I NEEDED it, although I did not buy anything. Looking at everyone else thinking they needed all this junk was just too much - I couldn't contain the laughter at the silliness of it all.

I also once thought quite erroneously, that I had to own every common or new invention (that is unconscionably overpriced and costs nowhere near that much to make). Now, I do not own a VCR, a TV, a 'boom box', or a cell phone, or even a camera and if you want to buy my foolishly purchased 100 disk CD changer, the bidding starts now. I have left a number of 'gifts' on neighbor's doorsteps, which bizarrely, (I heard) they 'oohed' and 'aahed' over. I have spent a tremendous dollar amount on trash bags and made numerous disgusted trips to the Dumpster successfully ridding myself of these burdensome, stress-inducing amenities. I even had one male neighbor climb into the Dumpster after my stuff triumphantly producing a door ornament, 'redneck wind chimes' - a set of dangling bean cans. He even fell over himself in gratitude ridiculously shaking my hand and introducing himself when I gave him a family-sized Foreman grill that I had received for Christmas, and had never even opened because I had previously thrown out one for lack of use and it's difficulty to clean, and still owned yet another that had also been given to me as a gift.

In high school, I swore I would never own a credit card or fall prey to the follies of credit card ownership. If an item was a necessity, I would have the money for it or I would not buy it, but like everyone else, I ended up owning a few myself (three). Before the common use of ATM cards, one had to have a credit card logo just to rent videos - that's how they got me. In addition, I thought I was doing my 'credit rating' a favor, but I will not be a slave to such meaningless, worthless tripe. Most houses these days are made of cracker boxes and cost TWO arms and TWO legs and are not worth being saddled in debt for the rest of my life or passing that legacy of debt on to my children or other 'heirs' in lieu of a real inheritance simply because the Joneses have made that mistake for appearance' sake.

Now, I own no credit cards, the three have been shredded, and the balances long reduced to zero, the final one being cancelled last Thursday after some lazy postponement, though the balance had been at zero for some time hence the considerably increased credit line. Asked why I wished to cancel my card? I simply said I consider myself less gullible than the average American sheep and have since realized that I do not need something simply because of claims made by artful advertising, and if I don't have the money for it, then I don't need it.

I will not be a slave to corporate counsel, society's mandates, or the cycle of resultant ills.

I feel foolish and decidedly ill at the thought of all the money I have wasted. Perhaps to people as rich as Bill Gates, the amount I have spent makes a particularly satisfying, yet hollow jingle in the bottom of a bucket, but for me I have squandered my life's savings.

I am the Prodigal Son.

A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION