Employment, "The Market" & Music

So here we are again. Reading this thing that I write. Yes, I’m reading it too. I must, in order to write it. Ok, so enough for the unique intro…

I’m sure some of you may be getting tired of my Governmental ranting, so I’ll give it a rest – for now. I shall not be silenced. lol

Not much going on really. I find myself falling back into the topic of employment. I usually do when I don’t have things to talk about. Don’t we all? What else do we talk about when there is nothing? Work. The all-consuming void of debt/slavery in an attempt to survive with material possessions intact. I just bought a bunch of stock in Adelphia Communications, hoping to make a profit from a company in bad times (isn’t that ironic). With shares costing only 45 cents, I felt it would be my duty to buy up a whole bunch. So, basically what this means is, when the stock rises even 1 cent, it registers a considerable gain on my part. I suppose it’s a great idea to buy stock in a company that’s going through Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.

The thing that intrigues me the most about the “market” is the fact that it’s the basis of what this country is seeming to be about. If you have money to invest, you have no need of work. The hierarchy of our country is strictly laid out. There are the workers; the ones who work the hardest, yet, they receive the least for their efforts. The management; those who’ve been through what the workers are living through. Then, there is the executive; managed somehow to get the support of all those beneath him, or maneuvered himself into this position through relationships. Then, of course, at the top is the investor; high on his horse he is greeted by the execs in suits, introduced to management and always kept in clear view of the worker. “You better work hard this year, Mac. Mr. Investor is planning on giving us millions to improve, only if he thinks we’ll be profitable. So, you better bust your ass for this company and not see a dime more for it. Just take your wage and live paycheck to paycheck. You’re lucky you even have a job.”

Meanwhile, in the boardroom, the execs pander to Mr. Investor; crowding at his feet. He is such a philanthropist.

Anyway, my point is, working hard gets you nowhere. The richest people on this planet don’t even have jobs. The most influential. As long as people are kept under the idea that working hard is part of the American Dream, they’ll keep missing out on it. When do you think the last time Bill Gates engaged in anything even close to being considered manual labor? Or… haha… Warren Buffett?

Then, the question arises: How does one get into such a position? Well, it takes a little money to start with, and a little willingness to take a risk. There’s a reason certain stocks are considered “safe,” while others are “risky.” You don’t make money on safe stocks. 25 years ago, before Microsoft was what it is today, and you were to ask an “intelligent” investor what he’d put his money in, no doubt he would say GE, or Wal-Mart, or one of these well-known companies. Yet, for the man who risked a small amount of money and put it on Microsoft, well… he is a rich man now. And not an ounce of that money came from “working hard.” You could never make that much money by working. Yet, it’s constantly fed to us, “he worked hard to get where he is today.”

Oh well. Who am I to think this way? I’m working for a living. Doesn’t make me feel any better. I could bust my rear working and still not make as much as these guys do, just on interest.

I guess it’s just in me to complain. I guess I just don’t like living paycheck to paycheck, and the obvious ones to take it out on are they guys that are billionaires with no jobs.

Ok, a different topic. I’m learning Crash by Dave Matthews on the piano. If nothing else, I will be making my own rendition of it. Due to the obvious physical difference between the piano and the guitar, rhythms and style will be different. To play the same rhythm on the piano as it is played on the guitar makes the song sound choppy and rough; sustain only adding to the confusion. That being so, it will be hard to maintain the original feel of the song. But I feel that it’s a worthy project. It’s a really great song by a talented man.

Also, keeping with the classical aspect, I’ve been studying a Rachmaninoff Prelude, No. 10 in B minor, Opus 32. According to Rachmaninoff himself, it symbolizes a “return.” Possibly a return to the melancholy. The first bars of the song are those of an old, contemplative man returning to his old haunts. A return to something bittersweet. I can envision a cold fall evening, the leaves blowing across the ground beneath his feet as he wraps his dark overcoat around himself. Whatever it is that is drawing him back is far more than significant. It’s his destiny. And I suppose that’s why his “return” had been marked by such a moving song.

I find it hard to conceive of a passion for music such as Rachmaninoff had. Never have I heard such emotion and intensity by a single musician. It wasn’t uncommon for him to break strings on his piano. His music is so engaging, forcing the listener to feel what he is feeling. It grips you, almost placing you in a different point in time. Possibly “returning” the listener to a place they’ve been longing to be. Maybe for Rachmaninoff, his return was to a place that this particular piece brought him.

On that note, I believe I’ll “return” to my life and maybe do some reading. In case you’re wondering what it is that I’m reading, just take a look above.