Blog #167--An Easy Life Has Its Drawbacks
America has been considered a land of wealth and personal freedom for many years now, and some of its citizens have lived their entire lives fulfilling that promise. If they are fortunate enough to be born into wealthy families, sheltered and protected from all harm while young, and invest their wealth wisely as adults, they can expect a life of perpetual luxury.
Expensive private schools further their notion of specialness and prevent any interaction with those less fortunate than themselves. Having no reason to work unless motivated to do so, they can spend the rest of their lives pretending to be superior to those who service their needs. Even the thought of death might be minimal if they aren’t exposed to it along the way.
Life as a member of the upper crust is the dream of many others, for their children if not for themselves. They are capable of spoiling their children, even to the point of bankruptcy, by trying to give them everything they want along the way. They might have to work multiple jobs to pay for expensive tuition to the “best” schools, but nothing is too good for their children. They preach a need for wealth, through marriage if possible. If necessary, some encourage deceit and treachery. They may never fit in with the upper crust, but they can pretend they do.
A necessary aspect of this type of life is to imagine nothing bad will ever happen to them. This notion is not limited to rich and pseudo-rich; there are individuals from all walks of life who maintain this fallacy. In this day and age, one who has been pampered and spoiled growing up can escape the harsh realities of life fairly easily. Cell phones, social media, computers and music all help keep people busy without having to hear any news of substance about what is happening to other people. People are dying, protesting, fighting, stealing, killing and manipulating, but few if any of those stories reach their ears.
Multiple television channels also allow us to live in our own private worlds if we choose, avoiding all news, documentaries and other types of informational programming. Since laws were changed to allow a small number of multinational corporations and ultra-wealthy citizens to own large numbers of media outlets in the same areas, and other new laws eliminated the need for balanced media coverage of the news, one can literally hear what one wants to hear without bearing the burden of facts. Media magnates learned quickly that, if given a choice, many of their listeners and/or viewers prefer less hard news and more entertainment. These same people are most likely to purchase products advertised on the news, so there are multiple reasons to eliminate hard-hitting investigative journalism.
Truly, it is possible to live a life filled with play and happy times. That is, if you are one of the lucky few whose life paths avoid normal down cycles. But are those people really lucky? Certainly, some others are jealous of them and wish they could have the same type of life. But a “lucky” life has a downside that is ignored by many. In the long run, it may be better to live a difficult life, at least in terms of spiritual growth.
A life lived in the lap of luxury teaches us little about ourselves or life. Maybe that can be good for some. For instance, those who believe in reincarnation may feel an easy life is necessary to balance multiple difficult lives. Maybe some need to live a luxurious life to learn why it may not be better than any other. Regardless, learning is as slow as what happens with students who must study for standardized tests: memorize, regurgitate for an exam and then forget. Little is learned that can be applied practically to the travails of an average life.
If we have no challenges in life, we have no motivation to learn. Problems are assets because they make us think, and they require a response. If the response works, we learn to do it again in the future. If it fails, we learn to reconsider our options for the next time. Either way, we are faced with a lesson that helps us evolve.
While some people in America are escaping life, others are simultaneously forced to experience opposite conditions. Perhaps they must live in a ghetto or on the street, work as slaves or hide from frequent bombing attacks. Maybe they survive despite destruction all around them, whether natural or man-made. Maybe all their hopes and dreams are snuffed out by the greed of the rich who try to control their lives.
If they live through such episodes, they learn a great deal that will help them the rest of their lives. They learn to trust they are alive because it is not yet their time to die. They learn what they are capable of doing when under severe distress. They learn to trust their inner guidance since they have few if any alternatives. And they learn to face their problems since they have nowhere else they can go to hide. They may even learn to forgive those who have caused them harm. If so, that may be their greatest lesson of all.
Plenty of Americans are learning these lessons, but many others are not. The latter group is stagnant, while the rest are growing and developing as spiritual beings through the University of Hard Knocks. Even some of the poorest among us are growing more spiritually than their overseers and those living in gated communities apart from the masses. When it is said “the last shall be first,” it is a truism.
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