Mr. Right Bounces a Check

I love a good question. Especially if I know the answer. Sometimes, though, the question is just a question - one of those rhetorical ones - that doesn't have an answer, we just ask it for the fun of asking. Such as, "If all the conservative Republicans were in a room together and one of them farted; would it smell, or would they even notice that the room stank?"

Those kinds.

Or the kind of questions that Pam's children ask. Questions that even the wisest oracle could not answer. I'll leave those for you to ponder, since some of them make my brain hurt.

But over on the Good in Theory blog today, old pal Katie (OK, not so old, but a pal nonetheless) asks an interesting question. Katie's question, in a nutshell is: Is it human nature to base our worth on the worth of our bank account, or is it society’s nature? Good one, Kate. Have you met Pam's kids?

If you believe that we are all a measure of society, then you can equate society's values with our own. However, if you believe as I do, that the values of individuals make up society, then you may side with the human nature answer. Allow me to elucidate.

Every now and then, a magazine or "news" program puts out a list of the Ten Most Eligible Bachelors. By eligible, of course, the list does not reflect the dictionary definition, which would be "qualified, appropriate or adequate", they are referring to the bachelors with the biggest bank accounts or the biggest degree of fame. By that measure, the 30-year old unmarried librarian down the street who owns his home and has a good credit rating is deemed ineligable. That is the standard of the list, not of the friends of the librarian, who cannot understand why a 30-year old man is still available, regardless of his net worth.

The reason the lists are so interesting is because the librarian, qualified though he may be, has none of the characteristics sought after by the media outlets that assemble the list. He's a popular guy at the local book club meetings, and may even be an interesting drinking buddy, but as far as Maxim Magazine is concerned, he may as well be your dog Spot.

These are the same type of people who run local radio shows, where single women are paraded about in search of the so-called Mr. Right. The callers, seeking their Mrs. Right counterpart, are measured by both the size of their bank account and the potential of its size based on their job. Neither, however, will produce a long-term happy relationship with Mrs. Right, appearances to the contrary.

Weak thinking individuals (like those in line buying beer at WalMart) are drawn in by the low morals of society and led to believe that the most eligible men are the ones with the fattest wallet. The deep thinkers and rational among us know that the deep waters do not necessarily run fat, if you will forgive a mixed metaphor in order to make a point.

Perhaps the fat bank account will satisfy the shallow thinking Mrs. Right's among us, but the worth of our potential mate lies in much deeper water. Fancy dinners, jewelry and high fashion work in the short term, but as any savvy investor knows, the worth is in the long term.

Before he got married, a friend of mine used to meet girls who were "hotties" and over the course of a few weeks he would bed them and shortly afterwards, leave them in search of the next hottie. My answer to him each time he would ask me what I thought of them was, "Sooner or later, you have to talk to them." I think he understood what I was saying, since he would later come to his senses and marry the woman with the best combination of brains and beauty. They have since had two children together and I can imagine that they will be together until death do them part.

Neither of them has a fat wallet, but both of them have fat values and love for each other. They are raising a nice family together and I'm sure their children will be the beneficiaries of their combined wisdom, and not necessarily spoiled by the fact that they may shop at WalMart.

I love a good question.