A clever man

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