Relative

     What would happen if we all woke up tomorrow and everything was doubled in size?  We wouldn’t really notice anything different.  The same would stand true with any other thing we would want to consider if we keep the same relative perspective.  This doesn’t work in the real world, however.  No two things are truly fluctuating in the same relative positioning.

    Take the economic condition as the most flagrant example.  When the cost of housing increases five percent or the cost of groceries, or gas, or clothing, or entertainment, or ANYTHING else --- do your wages increase five percent?  Certainly not!  But we never seem to look at the economy in the same relative terms.  How many times have you heard someone say (or perhaps you’ve said it yourself):  “I can’t believe it costs that much for (whatever)!  I can remember when that was only (so many) cents a gallon, or (so many) cents a loaf, or a pound, or a package!”  Have you ever noticed that when people say these kinds of things and “long for the good old days”, they mention that when things were that price your income was next to nothing?  Maybe $5 a week or $2 a day for long hard hours.

     Yes, all things are relative to something.  But we never want to compare apples to apples or oranges to oranges.  That’s only human nature.  We have to minimize the contrast by exaggerating the differences.

     Now don’t get me wrong.  I’d like to see things cost less.  I’d like to have nicer clothes and bigger cars and money left in my pocket at the end of the month.  But I have to recognize that I can’t ask everyone to lower THEIR prices to aide my situation and not be willing to make sacrifices myself.

     And yet this is what people are constantly doing.  They want better roads, better medical care, more police protection or firemen.  They want everything better but they don’t want to pay more for anything.  This can be seen so plainly when politicians are running for office.  They promise so many GREAT benefits, but they also promise to LOWER taxes.  How do people think the cost of all these additional benefits are going to covered?

     And have you ever noticed that in that extremely rare event when things do seem to go right for you and you get a little ahead financial, then you have these long lost cousins, or brother or sister or niece or nephew or SOMEONE showing up with their hand out?  Well --- I guess it is ALL only relative after all.

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"You can choose those you want to be around,

you can pick those you wish to call friend,

but you are stuck with your relatives!"