After writing my latest book, “Getting in Touch with Your Inner Rich Kid,” I have become tremendously conscious of the many ways economic oppression manifests itself.
We tend to think of economic oppression purely in terms of having money or not having money, but I’m starting to think that this approach in itself is a form of oppression, as it distracts us from the real game that’s been played. At this point I am having difficulty finding any aspect of American life that isn’t in some way evidence of a grand struggle for someone getting relatively greater power over someone else.
Just for today, let me ask you this question: is there some part of yourself, either physical or emotional (or perhaps social) that you disapprove of?
If you sit and watch television for any amount of time, you will find constant urging towards self disapproval. There is no aspect of the human experience that somebody somewhere isn’t telling you is wrong. Are you losing your hair? Apparently, this is wrong. Are you ashamed of your fat cells? Apparently, fat cells are bad. Are you depressed? Yeesh, what the hell is wrong with you???
I could go on and on ad nauseam with all the minor imperfections that flesh is heir to. The point I wish to make is, if you accept the idea that some aspect of yourself is wrong, and you accept the idea that the proper fix is to somehow cut yourself off from it, numb it, or conceal it, you are essentially weakening yourself. When you condemn this or that individual aspect of yourself, instead of being closely allied with your stomach, your hair, your skeletal structure, or your emotional energies generally, well, to speak in military terms, you’re dividing your forces. A house divided against itself cannot stand, and when you start to disapprove of some part of yourself (and this is almost always due to someone else urging you to do so, who also claims that they are doing it “for your own good”), this weakened state ultimately serves to impoverish you, and enrich someone else.
So the lesson for today is this: you may not be thrilled to death with your percentage of body fat or the natural color of your teeth. But no matter how imperfect various parts of your body and psyche may be, they are your internal family, they are your best friends and closest allies, and you should hold these treasures close to your heart. And bear in mind that when someone implies that you should be ashamed of some part of yourself, take a moment to consider how that approach will affect the overall power scheme. Your confidence, your trust in yourself, and your sense of being just as deserving as anyone else (cellulite or no) has a major impact on how big of a piece of the pie you are going to demand for yourself on payday. For other people to get more, someone else has to accept less. That someone else does not have to be you. Exiling pieces of yourself does not lead to wealth.
© Justin Locke
