On The Purpose To Life

AKA On Breaking The Bank

‘I’ve got a knife here, and I’m going to stick you if you don’t give me all your money.’

‘That reminds me of a great joke.  One of the great lines of all time, from the Golden Age of Radio.  I realize that that was before your time.  Ever hear of Jack Benny?’

‘ - What?  Hey - c’mon, buddy, I said - ‘

‘A great character, and well before the advent of tv.  When we had to use our minds more, to enjoy things.  Picture this.  On radio, we hear - ‘

‘Hey - come on, buddy.  This is - ‘

‘You’re going to love this.  Let me just finish with the punch line I promised you.

‘Jack Benny was a comedian known for his frugality.   - ‘

‘His what?’  

‘His penny pinching.  He had a shtick where he would go down to his basement occasionally where his vault was to visit his money, and engage in some droll conversation with his guard down there - ‘

‘I don’t give a shit about all that, bud- ‘

‘No, you’re going to love this.  Let me just finish, and then we can get on with our business. 

‘So that’s the kind of character that he portrayed.  So one time he was walking down the street - this is on radio, mind you; before your time; so you have to picture it - and we hear a very gruff, menacing voice say to him: “Your money or your life.”  And there is this pause.  And the gruff-voiced character then says, “Well?”  And Jack Benny replies, in his droll manner, “I’m thinking.”  

‘You would have to understand - ‘  

‘And I’m thinking that I’m going to hurt you any minute now, if you don’t give me all your money.’

‘Well, I certainly don’t want that to happen.  So I’ll do as you say, since you are giving me no real choice in the matter.  But first, let me ask you: Do you think there is a purpose to life?’

‘What? - Come on, man.  Just give me your money.  I don’t have all day here.’

‘I’m sure you don’t.  And you are quite possibly hurting for whatever it is that my money will be able to provide you with, at least to some extent.  And so, I’ll help you out to that end in a moment.  But first, and I’m really serious in asking you this: Do you think that life has a purpose.’

‘Well - sure.’

‘And what do you think that that purpose is.’

‘Well - to have fun.’

‘To have fun.  Just in and for itself only?’

‘…i don’t unnerstand.’.

‘I’m just wondering if you think that there is any ultimate purpose to ‘having fun,’ beyond just in and for itself only.  That there is a larger meaning to life.  To the life experience.’

‘…Are you trying to hit me with some ‘God’ stuff?’

‘I’m just trying to ‘hit’ you with some understanding of what you think that this business of ‘life’ is all about.  If you think that there is some ultimate purpose to it, beyond just the experience itself.  Which certainly has a lot of pain in it, besides moments of pleasure.  And the former of which you may well be experiencing right at this moment, in your life.’

‘…Experiencing…what?’

‘Pain.’

‘…Yeah.  I’ve got enough of that in my life.  Right about now.  And with you too, buddy.  C’mon.  Gimme your money, and let’s cut the crap.’

‘Actually, I’m trying to do just that.  But I’m still interested in what you think about life, at its roots.    But anyway, for now: Here.  I have a dollar on me.  Since you insist on taking it from me, it’s ‘yours’.  But actually, it’s not really a dollar.  Did you know - ‘

‘What? - Hey, come on, buddy.  Just do it.  Hand it over.’   

‘Right.  But I’m still interested in your answer to that question, too.  Did you know that these things that we call dollars are not really dollars?’

‘…I don’t unnerstand.’

’That they are just what are called ‘notes’.  Federal Reserve notes.  Backed by nothing, but other Federal Reserve notes.  Backed, that is to say, by nothing of value any longer but the promise to pay you, on demand - as you are doing to me right now - in the same kind of worthless paper in itself - like life in itself only - that it is made up of.  That there is an actual legal definition of a dollar, that involves a certain amount of silver.  And that backing, and the promise to pay a person in it on demand if one wished that to happen, disappeared on purpose some years ago, in a big shell game con, where it got shuffled out of sight, and therefore out of mind, in a very neat rigged game operated by the con artist called the Federal Reserve.  Which has nothing to do with the Federal government of the United States, other than to print up its currency, and charging it for doing so.  But which charge is as nothing compared to the amount of money that its chain of banks make on creating money out of thin air, by loans.’

‘…Loans…’

‘Yes.  For every so-called ‘dollar’ that the bank loans out to those in need of some more ‘money’ in their lives, it creates out of thin air up to something like nine times the amount ‘loaned,’ by doing nothing but entering some figures in its ledger.  Now, wouldn’t you like to have that sort of power?’ 

‘I sure would.’

‘But here’s the thing, friend:

‘You already have that power.’

‘What?!  How’s that?’

‘Because it’s all in our minds, friend.

‘It’s simply all in our minds.’