Price Tag

 

“The cost of a thing is the amount of what I will call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

This week I’ve been able to work long stretches on a project which has meant I’m back on track with my listening stats on podcasts. However, sometimes too much learning begins to feel like excess so once in a while I look for a playlist that can allow me to think. Spotify came through with a ‘songs you can sing in the shower’ playlist.

Did I ever let on that I never sing out loud? And especially not in the shower! But this playlist had me miming a few of its hits . . . songs from way back when lyrics had meaning and lessons.

This catchy tune from Jessie J.’s ‘Price Tag’ caused me to pause and look for the lyrics in their entirety. The specific line that got me went, “it’s not about the money, money, money, we don’t need your money, money, money, we just wanna make the world dance, forget about the price tag.”

It is not about the money. We don’t want your money. But there is a price tag, just forget about it!

Where have I heard that message before?

It’s just a small inconvenience. It won’t cost you (much). It’s for the greater good.

Every time I’ve heard that line of reasoning, something went unsaid and that something proved to be where the crux of the matter lay. And for that reason, I have become a skeptic and an incessant researcher. I have to dig into issues from all angles and listen to both supporters as well as opponents before making my decision.

And this is not something I’m learning to do now. I was a debate champion in my primary school days and I remember collecting facts and spinning arguments to counter every angle I thought my opponents would argue.

However, as we grow older, we tend to mellow and become more agreeable. I’m not sure if we just get lazy or we build an aversion to good arguments but most people tend to believe a spin more easily the older they get.

One of my values is to be a continual learner and I hope I can keep an open mind and a teachable spirit all the days of my life. Blindly buying into agendas is not my style and especially where those agendas concern matters that are close to me such as my spiritual beliefs, my health, and my relationships.

So it may not be about the money. It may even be getting offered free of charge to me. But someone somewhere is paying for it. Why? What do they stand to gain? Forget about the price tag. I may forget, but the fact remains that there’s a price to pay and it may not seem like much today, but tomorrow it may have been inflated by the action of inflation.

As with any agenda, follow the money. Who’s gaining from my compliance or buy-in? Then ask

 yourself – is this really free to me or are there hidden costs now or in the future that may eventually be too high a price to pay for the ability to dance today?

“but remember, nothing comes without a price. Our paths are not mapped; they’re made.” ~ Priya Ardis