Money Money Money and a little bit of compassion

What an intriguing context it is. For most it would appear to bring joy, relief, comfort, food, shelter, and support. For many it is simply a means to an end, and for many it is an end in itself. Some want to have it, to purchase things, some want to store it away for a rainy day, some want to give away, some want simply to turn into more money. Sometimes we are happy when we have it, other times we wish it didn't require so much of our time, energy, and mental thought.

Moving in the fabulous fifties, it certainly takes on  a new intensity as we start to think about whether or not we will have enough of it to take as far in life as possible. What a journey it is to try and sort out that madness. Literally for the last three weeks my husband and I have been trying to figure out what to do with the money that has come unexpectedly from losing a job, gaining a severance, and having to make decisions about pension plans. We have had to talk to so many different people, and the information is so complex, and the decisions so complicated. In the end we just decided that there is no "right" thing to do, it really comes down to what feels the best for us.

Money is such a strange creature. It has been around for a very long time, and is prominent in almost story, movie, conversation you see or hear these days. It is all about who has money, who does not have money, who won money, what's happening with money on the global markets, how much things cost, who spent how much on their wedding, or how to manage your money. Money, Money, Money.

And the quantity of money has become almost unimaginable. Just this evening the news reported that the Royal Bank of Canada had billions in profits. People compete on talent shows for millions of dollars! Do you remember when games shows used to give prizes of $500. Now it is a million for most. Actors and actresses making millions of dollars for a film, young men and women turning into billionaires before they hit the age of 30. We actually have millionaires under the age of 20 now due to the earning power tied to the Internet.

And yet we still have countries where people work for a dollar a day, where thousands go without food, water, and shelter. This is indeed one of the most complex questions facing humanity today. Why some have so much and others so little.  Do we ever think that there could be a more humane distribution of the worlds wealth? It is truly something I pray for every day and hold in my hearts deepest desires.

So tonight I count my blessings and despite the incredible headache I have had for the last three weeks I am so grateful that I have the problem of trying to decide what to do with my "money".  However having said that, i also give thanks for all of things in my life that have absolutely nothing to do with money! These are the most precious.

Now how about the next animal on the extinction list- the Northern Right Whale (just to completely change the subject lol).

The most endangered of all the world’s whale species, the northern right whale (Eubalena glacialis) numbers around 350 individuals that travel the Atlantic coasts of Canada and the US. During the whaling days of the 19th century, the right whale got its name because whalers considered it the “right” whale to kill, as it not only was full of valuable whale oil, but it floated after it was dead, which made it easy to handle and process. As a result, it was driven to near extinction. Although the right whale is now protected, its small remnant population continues to suffer losses due to entanglements in commercial fishing gear: Whales drown after becoming wrapped in nets, lines and other equipment. Global climate change, which can affect the availability of the tiny crustaceans on which right whales feed, may prove to be another serious threat to their recovery.

So perhaps a bit more "money" could be spent trying to save these magnificent creatures so that our children's children will not have to go to a museum to see one. I have to say, I was really shocked to find out that there are only 350 of these amazingly beautiful mammals on the planet today. I do recall being in Newfoundland with our family and going on a whale watching tour. We did see whales that day, but I cannot remember if they were right whales or not. If they were then I guess I should consider myself very lucky to have seen and been that close to a creature that is in fact so rare.

Was searching for the next great speech to review when I came across a you tube video of the speech given by Charlie Chapman in a movie called the Great Dictator. The link to the video is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pK2WJd5bXFg

I guess now I will have to try and track down the movie LOL. The great speech speaks to the true virtues of humanity and how we must utilize our gifts to make a better world. Got love that!

Love this new artist I found on you tube - John Lee Hooker(1917 - 2001

Highly influential American blues singer song writer and guitarist. He started his life out as the son of a sharecropper and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally a unique brand of country blues. Hope you enjoy the link..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSmk2lsLsa0

Well that's all for now my friends, other than to say, today I saw compassion, in the hearts of my daughters as they were there for each other, on Facebook as others supported a friend through the loss of their dear pet, and  certainly heard the need for it in the world in the great speech above. I hope that humanity will be able to find the compassion to ensure the protection and return in greater numbers of the right whale. I truly do believe that the world would be a much better place (not that it's so bad now :-)) if we could all find that special part of our heart that feels compassion for another and listens by taking action to reach out, to care, to comfort, to seek to understand.

So until we meet again...