Money and Gor... Are They Related?

As I mentioned my last post – writing about ‘stay at home slaves’ sparked another topic.

So, here we are.

Money.

It appears to be a bit of a taboo subject at the moment what with so many people being made redundant, hours being cut back and generally the lack of employment all over the world.

But the question I’m interested in is.. Do you need money to be Gorean?

As I said in my last post – I was very lucky that my Master had the money to ‘keep’ me at home all the time. I had no need to work. But this isn’t the norm, and certainly isn’t possible for most people. Society and the rising cost of living almost forces all people to work, where fifty, a hundred, two hundred years ago it was unheard of and frowned on for women to be in the ‘mainstream’ workplaces.

So do you NEED money to be Gorean? My answer would be ‘no.’ But I don’t believe you can be a ‘master’ if you’re sponging off someone else (friends, family, state) - but even a shelf-stacker can be Gorean – I know, I’ve met some! Just like I don’t believe ‘slaves’ should get into the Gorean lifestyle because they are looking for a meal ticket.

So why are some Goreans so focused on ‘competing’ for that title of ‘Richest Idiot’? I don’t think it is a ‘Gorean’ problem so much as it is a ‘humanity’ problem. The world is all about wealth and beauty. I mean, looking at the Gorean point of view, there should be no emphasis on money at all – most of the people we, as readers, meet in the books are either skint or close to it. Only a select few are what we as modern day people would class as ‘rich’ (the Ubars, the high/best merchants and high/best slavers, etc.)

Now, I have to admit.. Money has never been a great issue in my life, bar maybe a few months in my late teens. I have been very lucky in life with money, my parents are fairly well off, my own bank accounts have rarely been ‘empty,’ but I always worked for my earnings. Thankfully, it was never handed to me on a silver platter by ‘mummy and daddy.’ That, I believe, has taught me the meaning and value of money – and I don’t believe I take money for granted.

However, I don’t judge people on whether they have money or not. So many do. I don’t care if someone is struggling to get by week to week, having to buy the ‘budget’ brands, never go on holiday and has only two or three sets of clothes (I know people that, unfortunately, are in a situation like this), and I don’t care if someone earns more than me, spends nine months of the year jetting off on holiday and eating caviar. If they do the work either to get it, or earn it in some way - fair play to them.

The people I have a problem with are those that claim to have money (or not! There are a lot of ‘poor me’ people out there who want, expect or beg for handouts when they are actually doing fairly well for themselves) when in reality their situation is very different. Anyone else remember the big uproar about the ‘beggars’ in London who were walking around the corner and getting into a brand new Jag? I’m reminded of the sayings “He who shouts the loudest...” and/or “The lady doth protest too much, methinks..” when I see people announcing their poverty or wealth.

So, I don’t believe you need money to be Gorean, but having money can change how you live, and in that sense it can both improve a life and ruin it. Remember, money can’t buy honour, money can’t buy class, money can’t buy self-control or self-awareness, and money can’t buy love. So all the things I believe are needed to be Gorean and in a happy relationship in general... have no use for money.

Slaves that Stay At Home?! Never!

Lots of people consider the idea of a “24/7 stay-at-home slave” to be unachievable in the modern world. It’s ridiculed as ‘outdated,’ and ‘impossible.’ Personally, I find this amusing, as for nearly three years I did just that. Perhaps I was imagining it, or perhaps I was just doing the ‘impossible!’

The problem is that it can work but it is hard work. It’s not something that suits everyone, and the most common complaint I hear about it (or rather, the most common excuse for not doing it) is “but my slave in intelligent... she’ll get bored!”

This is the biggest load of bollocks out there. Intelligence isn’t linked to working outside the home. Intelligence is about knowledge, common sense, and initiative. Boredom only occurs when the slave either isn’t intelligent enough to keep herself motivated and active around the house, or the ‘master’ isn’t intelligent enough to keep her busy around the house.  

24/7 slaves do a variety of things (although the main one everyone thinks of is ‘cleaning’.. all a ‘stay at home’ slave does is clean – again... BOLLOCKS!), cleaning is a part of it, obviously. But so is managing the house in general. I’ll go into detail about my own situation in a moment.. but I have to say that I feel sorry for anyone, slave or master, that can only imagine ‘cleaning.’

So let me tell you a little about what I did... I’ll start with the cliché – cleaning.  I heard recently that it takes some slaves a maximum of four hours to clean the entire place. Seriously? I pity such people.. to have such a small home that it only takes four hours to clean...? I did a room a day, going through all the rooms and then starting back at the beginning again. Each clean (of a single room, I’d like to point out) took 3-5hours. That is, of course, from top to bottom – not just a ‘quick tidy up.’ The washing of clothes was done twice a week, and the bedding was changed just as often.

What amuses me is that people claim they ‘would get bored’ of doing this – now, I admit I like cleaning, I’m a bit anal when it comes to such things... but bored? Or had ‘done it all’? Really? I’d love the people that say such things to visit the Gorean home in Birmingham... Say you’re ‘bored’ in their house  they’d have you cleaning the floor tiles with a toothbrush all afternoon (and yes, they could tell if you missed one!)

Then there was the finances – my Master owned (and still owns) his own business, and I kept the finances for that in order. I sent out orders, invoices, kept files up to date, sorted tax returns, and generally made sure he didn’t have to deal with the mundane paperwork. Of course, I understand this isn’t a possibly for those that serve a minimum wage earner – but there is normally something that can be done with money even more so when they are struggling (budgets, shopping around for the best deals, etc.).

I also had my studies, my reading (which I still adore, and try to find time for at least two or three times a week), my cooking and baking - we never had ‘bought’ cakes or meals – it was all made from fresh ingredients.. because I had time to do it! I enjoyed being able to make the meal my Master desired, whether that be something as simple as a roast meal, or something less traditional like sushi or Thai green curry (my favourite!).

Of course, the reading was a part of my ‘relaxing’ time... I’d also often get time to do some craft work, some time to write (obviously) and generally time to relax. I had my limits, but as long as I worked within those limits, my ‘spare time’ was my own unless he needed me.

I was his slave, yes. But I was also so much more. I was his secretary, his accountant, his cook, his maid and his confidante. I was the person that he could moan to when the day hadn’t gone right. I was the person he could laugh and joke with when things were going well.

So I really do feel sorry for unimaginative slaves and masters who moan about how ‘terrible’ it is to be a 24/7 slave, or how they couldn’t possibly do it because they are ‘too intelligent.’ In my opinion, it is the most intelligent people that can organise themselves and a household, making sure that everything is done before the Master comes home. There is nothing intelligent or imaginative in being told what to do at your job, or going through the same routine time and time again.

So slaves can be 24/7, but it’s not for everyone. It isn’t a bad thing to be a 24/7 slave, just like it isn’t a bad thing to be a working slave. Everyone has to do what they must in order to live in this expensive day and age. I admit I was very lucky to have someone able to support both myself and him on a single income – I know not everyone is that lucky... and there is no problem with that – the problem only comes when one is lying about their earning capacity, or putting others down because they cannot achieve what those other people can do.

I think this has sparked my thoughts for another topic... so perhaps this is “to be continued...!”