entertained

  It amazes me how much people will pay to be entertained. The Baltimore Ravens play the Kansas City Chiefs today in a championship game. The first one in Baltimore for a very long time and a big deal, I get that. It was reported that one man paid 76,000 dollars for two tickets! I didn't listen closely to the story but apparently, he had won a good deal of money in a lottery or something and decided to splurge. That's a lot of money for entertainment! Perhaps others view it differently but to me that is all any sport is, entertainment. I wouldn't call myself an avid fan of any sport but do enjoy watching the competition. It's been said those that can't play coach, but I have never had a desire to coach either. I just like to watch.

 It isn't only sports that people pay so much to see or enjoy. Concert tickets are ridiculously priced in my opinion. I know, it costs so much to get the band there, all those people have to be paid, and the talent, well it's reasonable for one person to receive a few hundred thousand to sing a few hours. The bottom line is, is it worth whatever others are willing to pay. I don't begrudge others for doing so, I'm just amazed by the amount they are willing to pay. I wouldn't pay five hundred dollars to have Willie Nelson sitting in my living room, as much as I enjoy his music. And that's just the simple truth. 

 Entertainment and vice. Both are equal in generating revenue. I suppose that it is just a part of human nature. I've noticed that even the churches are shifting more toward the entertainment side rather than the serious business of teaching moral values and virtues. 

 Yes, all that is mentioned, briefly, in between the entertainment portions. Churches now have stages and sound systems befitting grand concert halls. Those big old pipe organs are being replaced with a four-piece band. But it keeps the people entertained and engaged. Isn't that the purpose? I don't think it is a coincidence that the divorce rate is rising as the incidence of those getting married in a church is declining. According to one survey in 2022 only 22% of all marriages were performed in a church! Marriage has become big business. In an effort to regain "customers" some churches now perform gay marriages. It's a definite shift in my opinion.

 I'm not trying to say I'm any different than the majority of us. I will spend money to be entertained. Money spent on frivolous pursuits like "crafting" and what I like to call making do. That's what I say when I repair something myself to save money. Sure, I had to spend more money buying the correct tools, the materials, and maybe do it a couple times to get it right, but I saved paying someone else! That's the important part, not paying someone else. Maybe that's why I am just as pleased listening to my favorite music on the radio as going to the concert. I'm not paying anyone else, at least not directly. Like I said I'm just amazed how much some are willing to pay and a good number of those people really don't have that much money to spare. It's like those receiving "assistance" buying cigarettes and beer, getting tattoos, buying expensive jewelry and the latest I-phones. Same thing with concerts and sports. 

 Well, it is your money, and you are entitled to do as you want with it. I may not agree with your purchases. What I don't get is when the people spending their money on entertainment, in a rather irresponsible fashion to be honest about it, insist the wealthy people should be giving them more money. I hear that all the time. Those fat cats should have to share! And don't try to tell me you are skimping and saving every dime, struggling to get by, as you're drinking your 40's, or whatever the saying is these days, talking on your I-phone 28, wearing your bling while going to the latest concert at a few hundred dollars a ticket, or paying top dollar for tickets to a ballgame, I'm not believing that.

  I was just amazed when I heard about that guy spending 76,000 dollars for two tickets to a ball game. As I said I didn't listen closely to the story but I'm thinking he isn't a person used to having a lot of disposable income, as that is what the professionals call it when you spend money on entertainment. It's disposable because you can afford to throw it away. Is wealth measured by the amount of disposable income a person has? The professionals say wealth is measured by the amount of assets minus liabilities. That isn't what we perceive however, we just see that they have more disposable income than we do. For that reason, we feel they should pay more for our liabilities. 

 I'll be honest about it though. If I had a great deal of disposable income, I wouldn't be concerned with paying for your liabilities. I would use it to entertain myself. What form that entertainment may take I can't say for certain. It's what most of us think about when buying a lottery ticket or whatever. I really don't believe there are many that are thinking, if I win a million dollars, I'm giving it away. It may be what we say out loud, but not to ourselves. Would I become completely altruistic? No. That's the straight up truth of the matter. But I should be, even if you have to pay for it.