I cannot for the life of me understand people who pay more for a pair of shoes than I do for rent. I do not understand people who will pay $40 for a pair of socks just because it has some guy's name written on it. And please don't hand me the "it's expensive because it's high quality" crap because that is just not true. It's expensive because it has some guy's name written on it and someone somewhere has decided that this guy's name must be important.
Call me pedestrian, call me low-brow if you will, but I will never understand some people's compulsion to keep up with the Joneses. Yes, I know that without ambition, and sometimes greed, that no one would really be motivated to do anything with their lives but think about it like this:
For the $120 pair of shoes, or that $150 shirt, you can buy the same thing, same quality, without the name of course, for half-price at Wal-Mart. And with the money that you save you can actually do something meaningful.....like buy blankets for the homeless, diapers for a single parent who is having a hard time, food for someone who doesn't have any.
I'm not saying that you shouldn't have any nice things. Of course you should. If you work hard, then you should enjoy the fruits of your labor. What I am saying is that maybe people should re-prioritize that which is important. How much you spend on your tie or your SUV is not important. How much compassion you spend on other people is.
My husband often complains that I am too concerned with the welfare of other people. I can't help it; that is just who I am. Do I get taken advantage of sometimes? Sometimes, yes I do. But I also know that we have an obligation to one another as people to raise one another up whenever and wherever we can, be it by a sandwich, a pair of shoes, or just by a kind word. Of course, you have to use your brain(you can't give a crackhead money but you can buy him a meal) but you also have to use your heart, which I think a lot of people have forgotten how to do in their quest for their own 'American dream.'
Remember that the next time you put on your alligator shoes and grab your Prada purse.
Peace all........
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4 comments:
Hmmmm. Interesting. You've just inadvertently pointed out the fact that I'm a hypocrite. I've always had these same feelings, but now that I think about it, I've got a closet full of name brand stuff. Here's why I do it:
(1) I go out of my way to look nice for work. I wear expensive dress shirts with silk ties. Why? Materials. In most cases (not all) the expensive guys use better fabrics than, say, Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart's 'Puritan' brand uses 100% cotton -- ALL THE TIME. Sometimes I want blends. Puritan has one style - the plane run-of-the-mill solid color button-up. Izod and Calvin Kline produce different cuts and patterns. Wal-Mart brand "silk" ties can't compair to the Tommy Hilfiger real silk ties. I've had several pairs of Wal-Mart dress shoes and they have ALL fallen apart within a couple of months. I bought an expensive Italian pair of dress shoes over a year ago and they just now need to be re-soled.
(2) I grew up on Wal-Mart. That's all I ever wore. Do you remember how cruel children can be? The first 17 years of my life I was tormented because I wore "cheap clothes". When I got my first job, I spent all of my paychecks on Adidas, Levis, and CK and it actually made me feel better about myself. I fit in. I don't mean to blame my parents, but the whole Wal-Mart dependence thing sort of traumatized me and as a result, I refuse to buy Wal-Mart clothing now. Is that shallow? Yes, but if it makes me feel better about myself, where's the harm in that?
To each his own.
My lord woman! Do you read my mind? You think so much like me it is scary!
I stumbled on to one of your comments on another site and decided to check out your blog. Boy am I glad I did! I hope you don't mind but I have added you to my favorites list.
Thank you for the compliments! Stop by anytime!
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