2025/06/08

Money

I was talking to Rika today at Sarasa - the big old bath house one: I live in Japan and I work very hard. So hard that it landed me in hospital. I have searing pain around my heart and I have been losing consciousness quite often these past few weeks. It’s from stress. It’s basically because food in Japan has doubled in price and in some cases it has tripled. Rice prices are skyrocketing and my wages aren’t. That was the catalyst. The rest are regular things, like:

1. The current state of the world
2. Ripping open past traumas
3. Relationship problems
4. Work / Visa problems
5. Not being able to visit dad
6. Miscellaneous things in between

I made a post about this on my Instagram - something about choosing food instead of money and how frail my neglected hands had become. For the work I do, I don’t earn enough to make a sustainable living. The condition doesn’t come from the amount of work I do (well it does), but from the nature of it. I sit in front of a screen. Like what I’m doing right now. Bodies, brains and spirits are not designed to sustain this activity 8 hours a day, 5 days a week until we are 65. They’re not really designed to do anything for that length of time. So why on Earth do we put ourselves through this?

Well, we know the answer. Laurence Fishbourne puts it quite well:

That you are a slave, Neo. Like everyone else you were born into bondage. Into a prison that you cannot taste or see or touch. A prison for your mind.

If you haven’t quite caught on yet, let me put it plainly for you.

Money

𝄞 Money makes the world go round , world go round, world go round ♫.

If you know me well, you’ll know quite well that I do not like money. I do not like what it represents. I do not like its history. I do not like what it does to people. I do not like the influence it has over people. I do like like people trying to convert me into their religion.

Money is a religion in disguise

I love the positivity of ChatGPT sometimes:

Aroni: What is the purpose of religion?

Mr. GPT: The purpose of religion is multifaceted and varies depending on cultural, historical, and personal contexts, but generally, it serves a few core functions:

1. Meaning and Purpose - Religion often provides answers to big questions like Why are we here?, What happens after death?, or What is the meaning of life? It gives people a framework to understand their existence.
2. Moral and Ethical Guidance - Most religions offer a set of moral codes or ethical teachings—guiding how people should treat others, resolve conflicts, and live virtuously.
3. Community and Belonging - Religion creates a sense of shared identity and community. It brings people together through rituals, traditions, and shared beliefs, offering emotional and social support.
4. Spiritual Connection - Many people turn to religion to feel connected to something greater than themselves—whether it’s a god, nature, the universe, or a higher consciousness.
5. Coping Mechanism - Religion can help people deal with life’s challenges—grief, illness, uncertainty—by offering hope, comfort, and a sense of control or acceptance.
6. Cultural Identity and Tradition - Religion often forms a core part of cultural identity and heritage, shaping art, music, language, and customs across generations.
7. Social and Political Influence - Throughout history, religion has influenced laws, governance, and social movements—both positively (e.g., civil rights movements) and controversially (e.g., religious conflicts or repression).

And this is the money religion in a nutshell. Apart from the fact that it can be exchanged for items necessary for our survival - it can also be used for well, whatever you are wasting your money on.

I don’t have much more to say on this. It’s just how I percieve money. And money as a religion has a huge influence over people. I don’t enjoy how money changes a good person’s nature.

Please don’t let money get in the way of what you are supposed to be.