11.7.13

Dear Abigail

Dear Abi,

Ever notice that the free world is no longer free. 
Technically speaking, we are a free country, but what in life can we do that is free.
Wake up, in a dump, eat garbage for breakfast lunch and dinner,
Look for cans so we can purchase some food.. Or cigarettes. Or Alcohol.
Or drugs. But what drugs are under 10 bucks?

No, we have more standards than that. We went to elementary school, passed through high school.
But maybe we stopped for college. 
Maybe we took a break, so we could earn some money.
Ah Money. The free world is no longer free after high school.
So during high school.. maybe before college, we work.
We work that minimum wage job to chase our desires and save for college.
The free world is no longer free and the free world no longer offers hand me downs.
But didn't we get the memo? No.
Our parents never shined the light on that memo.
So we either end up as the paragraph above or we work.
Not free.

So we work. We work our asses off until our ass can no longer stand.
We work so god damn much that we forget to work our bodies out into shape.
We work so hard that we forget to chase our goals and dreams, because hey.
Our goals and dreams cost more money than this minimum wage paying job pays.
So we expand our thoughts and start thinking the what if game.
The what if I get paid for this or take this job role because now we have experience.
But along this job description we desire, the scripture says 4 year college degree.

By now, we're at the game of 22 trying to get back into that rhythm we once had about going to class.
The government hands us little checks that take away part of the debt,
and we no longer can work 40 hours a week.
Except, our employers want us to work 40, but we can only give them 30, 
Oh and by the way, we're only maintaining a C average, cause we're not so smart after all.
What's a person to do when we're struggling to go back to school to better ourselves,
Can't work a full-time job because school gets int he way of bettering ourselves,
Do we settle for paragraph 1? Just say f it and become bums.
Or do we go back to paragraph number 2, and just work because nobody understands us.

If we're smart, we keep going. If we have a drive, we strive for the finish line.
Except maybe only half of us in the free world are like that.
Probably less than half to tell you the truth.
The other half will have a relationship which results in a kid.
And the only thing they'll have is paragraph number 3.
The other quarter will probably give up the school business and think of only the short term.
Which will mean they find a restaurant job and have side jobs to keep the cash.
Forgot to mention, there's that 5 percent that marry into the rich.
And the 1 percent that become richer than rich cause they're beautiful.

The free world isn't so free now that you think of it. Is it.?
Your parents nor mine, have the name of Rockefella or Buffett
Or a successful business like Apple, Microsoft, or Dell.
Our parents may be successful in the community, in the city, in the town..
But it's not at the national level. 
Because if it was, we would already be set to occupations,
And the last 6 paragraphs wouldn't apply to us.
I don't know about you but I don't want to be known for what my father did.
Bruce Wayne.

If we're smart, we keep doing what we're doing.
The free world was founded on freedom of religion, freedom of anything.
To be honest, we should have kept going after high school to get that college degree.
We should have taken loans which accumulate interest over time, to get that paper that puts us
above the lazier half.
It's not that we can't afford it, no because the free world hands me down that check.
It's because we're either too busy caught up with the social media,
Or we're too caught up with the cash in our pocket to fulfill our desires.
I mean, if someone asked you at 18, would you rather make 20 k or be 20k in debt,
which would you take.
If you could chase those clothing fashion trends for 20k in 4 years, or have just a piece of paper
wearing Target clothes for negative 20k, which would you choose.

All people who have that paper, that wasted that 20k, who spent countless hours of studying would tell you.
Wear Target clothes and go get that paper.
Trends, fashions, fads always wear out.
But that paper, it will stay with you the rest of your life.
Having a title, whether it's an undergrad, masters, or Ph D., it's worth that 100k you lost.
Technically, you never had the 100k.
You're just going to have to pay 100k.
But isn't that better than taking 6 years to make a 100k?

Picture this.
If we made 10 dollars an hour for 40 hours a week a 52 weeks a year, we would have.
20, 800 dollars.  That's not including a 20 percent tax rate. Which comes out to 16640.
Out of that 16640, we would probably spend 8000 on rent, and 3000 on food. That leaves us with
5000 to play around with.. a Year..for our fashionable celebrity like clothing we 'll only wear once.

If we we're 100k in debt, but had that paper making 100k...We'd be taxed 35 percent, but be taking home 65k a year.. Minus that for the same rent  and food, we'd still have 54k.  

Short term number 1 looks good. Long term number 2 looks 5x as good.  Forgot to mention,
you could probably afford a house with choice 2. And you would settle your debt within the first 3 years of living. Or two if you just paid that remaining 50k.

What's funny about the free world is that we take everything for granted.
We don't think about the third world countries, who are disabled from government bonds and education checks.  Their countries don't pay 40k towards your school education, or even loan you the 100k amount to get that paper.
Opportunities are better here in America.
But they're also abused here more than anywhere else.
Why do you think students from all over the world come to the Free World.
Ignorant people might say, they're giving up spots to the homegrown kids.
But honestly, if homegrown kids don't have that drive. or strive. or that motivation to become
What they can become,
Why would schools lower their prices.

I'm guessing that 99 percent of us are grinding . Or attempting to grind.
The free world is here if we take it.
We shouldn't take what we have for granted.
And we shouldn't settle for anything less than great.
But it ultimately comes to the individual who decides whether or not they'll grind and shine
Or just be lazy and pathetic.
Everyone has certain obstacles and circumstances to over come. 
But at the same time, everyone has the same opportunity as one another to do good.
If a poor man in poverty is able to overcome his bullies and struggles without parents,
To becoming a millionaire who lives comfortably,
It's not because he got lucky,
Or abused government hand outs.
It's because he worked hard.
He never let excuses get in his way.


Don't settle for less.

Part 1.

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