What Matters Wisdom?

I have lived as a fool for decades and loathe myself for the mess I have made of my life. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise. If the American Dream is morphing into the American Nightmare as fools in congress and business continue to dismantle our country, our economy, and our constitution, it occurs to me that if I had lived wisely all these years that, in the end, it would have made no difference. I may even be better off for having gotten so good at barely getting by.

Like an insect, my kind of low-life may be better equipped to survive the national and social melt down that increasingly seems to be the eventual fate of a once powerful and prosperous nation that may be trapped on a dead end hell slide into poverty and shame. Who's better equipped to hunker down and survive in a hovel while grubbing for enough food to keep body and soul together: the "winner" who is well invested, lives in a nice big house, and is used to a wide range of comforts and diversions – or the "loser" who is used to doing without, struggling to get by, and discovering in the process that he is no more or less bored than he was in the earlier, more affluent days of his youth.

Now, just because I'm a fool doesn't mean I'm ignorant. I recognize that a significant portion of the population who currently enjoy a comfortable, well supplied, and – seemingly – secure life style are persons of strength, character, and courage. When faced with adversity, they are capable of responding to the shifting fortunes of circumstance, making adjustments, taking action – and surviving. Many who have made their way through challenging times find that the experience has benefitted them. Sometimes a real shake down of the status quo is an opportunity to sift through the detritus of our lives and adjusts our values.

However, there are others who are living lives which are in great jeopardy, yet they settle into their daily routine blithely unaware that they are walking on a tight rope stretched between two houses of cards. Captive in a culture of consumerism, they spend every dollar they earn – and more (thank you, Visa; thank you, MasterCard). Never having made up their minds just what it was they really wanted to do to earn their livings, they graduate college the slaves of their student loans and, if they are lucky, get a job in a nice, clean career. Having grown up with televisions, computers, and cell phones, many of them don't know one end of a screw driver from the other. They hire everything done, while having no desire, and often no skill, to do anything for themselves. God help them, because when the financial egg hits the fan they may look to the government for help to survive – and find the government bankrupt. The coffers empty. No bread in the bread line. No soup in the soup kitchen.

So, what matters wisdom? A great deal. Just because I didn't apply a great deal of wisdom doesn't mean I don't recognize it's value. Quite the contrary; because I find myself old, crippled up, tired, and bitterly paying the price for not having lived wisely, I see clearly the value of what could have been – if only…

Some of what I learned the hard way and too late:

• Put the plug in the jug. There is nothing that can happen to you that can't be made worse by booze and drugs.
• It's not the high cost of living that is your curse, it's the cost of living high.
• You don't NEED a new car… nor the payments. A mechanically sound used car will serve you better by costing you less.
• The bigger the house, the more costly the maintenance.
• The longer your commute, the more money you're burning on gas and the more time you are losing on the road.
• Learn how to do stuff for yourself. Mechanical skills, building skills, gardening.
• You don't have to be extremely wealthy to be financially independent. You just have to have lived long enough spending less than you earned, and investing wisely, to reach a point where you can maintain an abundant life with a moderate income.