In these trying times of economic uncertainty, we all need to take a step back and consider our fiscal discipline and responsibilities and how our spending could impact our future stability. Some people might actually do this.
I, on the other hand, think more about the people I would affect if I didn’t buy that new pair of shoes. I mean, there’s people out there in the world relying on me! There’s a poor Dad somewhere that gets up early in the morning to head off to the rubber plantation, not aware of my appreciation for his contribution to my sneaker soles.
Imagine this. I bypass that pair of shoes, thinking that I should look after my own wallet for once. This means one less pair of sneakers, maybe even two considering how nice the pair next to them are, that won’t need to be made to replace the ones I bought. Less shoes made, less rubber needed to make the soles, less plantation workers needed to harvest. This means poor old Dad gets the sack from his job, because he was the last person employed by the rubber bosses. Dad can’t find another job, and his family slides into abject poverty. In desperation, Dad takes a job as a street walker. Unfortunately he’s not too good looking, and still smells like rubber tree sap (not a sexy smell at all), and he doesn’t get many customers. His pimp decides to let him go, and steals his wife away from him into the bargain. Dad never sees his wife and kids again, and fades into obscurity, joining the thousands of poor souls wandering the earth, all because of me being selfish and not buying a pair of shoes. Excuse me a minute…..
Okay, I’ve now composed myself again. Such a potentially tragic story. I refuse to let this happen. I will stand up for Dad. I will buy even more shoes to make sure his job is secure, and he can live happily ever after with his wife and 12 kids.
Maybe next time you think about being “responsible” and you decline to buy that dress, that suit, those shoes, for the purely selfish reason of sticking to your budget, ask yourself what that responsibility is doing to others.
Don’t applaud me for this. It’s just the kind of guy I am.
Cesare Paciotti $300
