Today no connection between pictures and short story. Some times different things come together. Maybe they even contrast themselves nicely.
The short story: Worth a read!
A clever man
Once there was a very respectable and
clever man, who walked all confident and light - footed into a
village everybody referred to as „Everyday Place“. He was an
absolute stranger to all the people, but soon enough the fine clothes
and his cosmopolitan attitude won over most of the average
intelligent inhabitants of Everyday Place. He seemed like somebody
important. After quite some short time, the very respectable and
clever man made himself at home in the tiny village. He sat up a
store, which he called “Possibilities for Everyone!”.
Wow, that really was something!
Possibilities for everyone? Even old Edgar, who hadn't had more than
a dime and a ha'penny in his pockets since the last time the king had
called for the taxes? No worries, the man said. I've got enough money
for all of us, so I will lend it to you, if you promise to give it
back in time. Naturally, everybody believed him. He, at last , was
the very respectable and clever man, who had honored their Everyday
Place with his extravagant presence and uncountable piles of gold.
Why shouldn't they trust him and make a better life for themselves at
the same time? So, it came that Edgar and all the other citizens went
over to “PfE” - as the shop now was referred to – and borrowed
big sums of gold to buy themselves fancy farms and fast horses. But
wait! Carrying all the heavy gold around all the time can be very
dangerous! Somebody might take it off you!, the clever man said and
suggested he should watch over the actual gold, which was now lent to
the everyday people. He had built an immense bunker below the shop,
which was impossible to break into. Instead of the actual gold bars,
the clever man gave out sheets of “important looking paper”,
which stated who much gold each one had taken a loan on. Nobody
actually had a look inside the impressive bunker, but everybody
believed the man, who had seen the world, because he had authority
now! Even the major had already spent some of the “paper gold”
and wouldn't want to make the clever man angry, because one day even
the major might be in need of some more money to borrow. So – again
– all the people believed the owner of PfE. And they did not only
trust him about all that gold of his, but the richer people – all
afraid now that somebody might try to steal their gold – brought
along their own gold bars to be securely stored in the PfE.
After three full circles of the moon,
the clever man went around all the fancy looking houses and knocked
on the front door. Who ever opened, all had borrowed gold from him
and now looked straight in his smiling face. How it was going at
work, the smiling man asked. Would there be any chance to repay the
gold by now? No? How unfortunate! You wouldn't want to break your
promise of repaying. Or would you? He has got an appointment for
dinner with the major tonight. The major wouldn't like to hear you
breaking an honest man's word. Would he?, the now sincere looking man
would ask the surprised everyday man. Listen, he would then say,
you'll get one more circle of the moon to repay your debt and the
case will be closed, if you give a little extra – you might call it
a favor to me – if you understand. Everybody understood. But nobody
could see, where the heck, they could get any important looking
papers together to repay the clever man of the PfE, though. They had
spent it all on houses they had no need of, horses they never rode
and cider they drank so much that even they themselves felt quite
embarrassed.
So passed another circle and the clever
man came around again. This time – though – he was not alone. The
major, too, had been unable to repay his due debt and therefore had
temporally given the PfE the authority over the village force patrol
as an personal “favor” to extent the own “public debt”.
Whoever was not able to pay up this time had to face five sets of
very serious looking eyes, which were socketed in five very grizzly
heads, a top very broad shoulders and strong arms. There was no smile
in the clever man's face. Pay up or go to jail!, he announced.Or …
you know, the house you got is not really yours... it is built on
borrowed gold .The gold belongs to not you but me. Move out and go
back to your crappy life and the matter will be forgotten. The house
will then be owned by PfE.
The people had no chance, but to follow
the clever man's “advice”. Nobody wanted to go to jail.
The clever man took it all. The fancy
houses, the fast horses even stuff, which was never bought by the
borrowed gold. But most importantly he took all hope and joy from
Everyday Place. He now owned three quarters of the village, because
most people hadn't been able to repay him. My gosh, they thought, the
clever man is really rich. He owns all our houses and his bunker is
full of gold! This man is very, very clever.
The clever man – though – was a
very “nice” man, too. So he offered everybody another chance to
turn their life into something better. But, he said, this time you
know the deal.
It is easy to guess what happened next.
Everyone thought that this time everything would be different. The
luck would be on their side and finally they were going to be
somebody!!! Nothing changed and the vicious circle repeated itself.
At last, the PfE – which was now referred to as “Bank”, because
there was a pretty looking bank, where the clever man always sat in
front of the PfE shop – ruled over every aspect of Everyday Place'
life. Even the majors house was now the clever man's house. The major
could still live there. Under... you know... certain “agreements”.
Sometimes, when nobody saw what he was
doing the clever man walked down to long stairs, which led to the
impressive bunker of his. He would almost burst out in laughter, when
he thought how easy it had been to trick those people. An trustworthy
Appearance. A pretty name. A lie. As he then opened the heavy bunker
door, there were barely any gold bars to be seen. Actually there had
never been any gold bars from the beginning!!! All that was stapled
in the bunker – neatly lined up on top of a tiny metal table were
countless documents, which stated the clever man's legal claim over
the real valuables in Everyday Place like houses and lands, which he
would then sell to people he had lent paper gold to, only to reclaim
them after a few circles of moon. Borrow paper gold, sell and reclaim
again. Borrow paper, sell and reclaim again. Obviously, there was one
thing missing. The gold. Where was all the gold? Why had never
anybody asked to see the actual gold, for which their paper gold only
stood in practical place for? How could people be so stupid?
WAKE UP NOW!!! This is nothing
different from what is happening to us nowadays!
This is exactly how it all started in
earlier times, when people were uninformed and scared! Today, we know
better. We don't want anymore “paper gold”, dollars or euros,
which are just given to us in form of credits from “proper bank
institutes”, owned by a few families, to enable us to buy land and
houses, which are then “legally” taken form us and claimed by
those PRIVATE companies, if we can't pay back our loans! Our money
has literally NO value at all! What does have values is a place to
live, your family and friends, love and harmony.
I say fuck those private bankers –
those few families - who rule our governments, energy management,
health care, transportation and – for god's sake – almost our
lives. Almost, because they don't yet! We are born to live free with
pride and glory as humans – as earthlings – to respect one
another and to laugh with one another. Stop believing in your money.
Start believing in neighbors and the people around you and – most
importantly – in yourself!
The Entourage wishes you all well-being
and an unclouded mind.
Your Entourage
