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.