The Value of Value

I spent most of the day thinking about value. Its a complex subject because when you start to analyse valuable, one realises that value comes in more than one form. It all started months ago when my ex fiance` and I broke up and I said that I wanted the microwave. You see, back in my single days....I had only one domestic item to my name and that was a microwave that had been given to me as a birthday present. In my life at that time, this microwave symbolised two main things:

• That I was grown up and had started building a house for myself
• The most valuable appliance in my house.

So when I moved in with Prince Charming and brought the symbol of my single life into our kitchen, he questioned the necessity of bringing my (quite broken by then) microwave into our new life. I realised that at that point...the value of my broken, noisy appliance was not tangible asset it had once been but was rather an abstract one. The value had changed. It was no longer valuable in monetary terms but it was the last shred of my independence and the product of my cold feet.... Anyway....eventually after we were engaged and he had promised to love me and look after me.....did I eventually relent to give up the microwave.

 Ironically....we broke up two or three months later...
And needless to say..... I took the new microwave.

 He put up quite a bit of a fuss, but relented to give it to me in the end after one of my award winning arguments. I was adamant! I left that relationship victorious with a brand spanking new Microwave (much nicer than the one I had) and..... a purple sex carpet! It was a symbol of my strength. Of my ability to carry on in the face of adversity and was very valuable to me. 

But months later, after it had been standing in the kitchen collecting dust because I have not cooked anything since we broke up, I suddenly looked at it one day and decided that I did not want it anymore and that I did not want to look at it. But .......what I did want...was hair extensions....

I loaded the microwave into the car, sold it for peanuts at non other than Cash Converters and bought hair extensions...and you know what?  As I was doing it I had to laugh at the absurdity of it all.  What is valuable today is worthless tomorrow not because value is unreliable but because are.

Do you want to be a vampire?

I'm not really the Vampire Diaries kinda girl but when you are broke and bored....one will stoop to all kinds of entertainment levels. And this is how I ended up watching the full season of Vampire Diaries (1)  twice! Yes...it was pretty bad... But it was during this marathon that the strangest thing occurred to me. And I must warn you in advance...its a stretch...but humour me for a moment.
Vampires are controlled by the lust for blood. they need it to survive but at the same time have an almost love/hate relationship to it. It borders on primal sexual bonds that can not be explained.

 I often get asked if I would want to be a vampire and my standard answer is no. I could not imagine the agony of living this life over and over again. Realistically, we would experience an existential crisis for centuries! Its torture! Having to watch everyone you know die, being completely alone for the rest of time. Why would I sign up for that!? I mean, Come on! Not to mention that you will never breath again, never taste anything other than blood again.... Everything you value and love will die or disappear through the ages and eventually all beauty will be gone. Its really not anything to envy...and yet when I answer no to the dreaded Vampire question I always get the most astonished looks!

So knowing my stance on Vampirism, you will understand how desperate I was when I watched this particular series but...... mid-series...like any good philosopher should...I started to question. And it went something like this:

• I am a waitress on weekends and it occurred to me that most people eat steaks rare or medium rare. Ideally this is how one should eat a fillet steak. We have conditioned ourselves to eat bloodly meat.
• The human species is carnivorous and sometimes cannibalistic.
• Due to the power shift in patriarchy, meat has become a symbol of power. The man must bring home the bacon!
• Ironically....the female body craves iron once a month. Iron which is easily found in a nice juicy steak!

And.... we are only half way through my argument! It gets better! If you agree with me, that the above is correct....and if not correct...at least plausible.... Then the following could also be plausible...

• There is no substitute to blood, its valuable because we cant recreate it. Blood is becoming more and more valuable as we progress further into "civilization". Predictably, in the future, blood will become a commodity. Link this idea to the taste humans have for meat and if taken away will create a blood lust hunger for blood.
•  The human mind is capable of the most perverse ideologies..
• And if this is even plausible the after effects could be the very point of insanity. A love/hate relationship for everything that lives.

Can you imagine living with that kind of jealously and guilt for centuries?! Its the very heart of darkness...the blackest soul.. Looking at yourself and realising.... YOU are the monster....

So do I want to be a vampire? No. I could not think of anything worse. But.... I have a suspicion that Vampirism is not such a far away concept.. And that we might.....just....get the chance to choose....

Plausible?