Money is food and freedom

Poverty changes you.

Lack of a job causes significant financial stress. You start sleeping abnormally long hours – secretly hoping that if you sleep long enough, anxiety and hunger will magically fade away. Suddenly, all the pants you own don’t fit anymore because you are starving. Scarcity of food makes you look anemic further hampering your ability to get a job in an appearance oriented culture. You begin to alienate all your friends because nobody wants to be seen with an unfortunate looking unemployed sort.

This is the third instance in my adult life that I have experienced such food deprivation. The first such instance was in my undergraduate days when I had no money, the second time was when I had quit my first job and this time it is due to a pandemic.

With an unpaid student loan, 100 dollars in cash and a worthless graduate degree to my name, I guess I recognize what money is now. Money to me is an endless supply of food. Food and freedom is what money truly represents. Freedom from anxiety, unsolicited opinions, and the liberty to work on whatever I may find interesting. That and an eternal supply of chicken tikka.