If you find little satisfaction in your work, you aren’t doomed to be a wage slave. Give yourself the gift of freedom for the holidays. The following guidelines may assist you and your family’s emancipation.

It is difficult to act or think freely when you owe your soul to the company store. Liquidate outstanding debts as soon as possible. Consider taking a part-time job and applying those earnings to debt reduction. Resist assumption of new indebtedness.

You and your family are assaulted by advertisers each time you connect to the media. Sales promotions are rarely offered on necessities. Most advertising promotes products for which no natural market exists — stuff you don’t need. Advertisers encourage us to enslave ourselves by buying into current fads even at the cost of embracing ugliness. Disconnect!

Having reduced your interest costs and wasteful consumption, determine your disposable income. Allocate 10 percent of that amount to an emergency fund. Allocate 15 percent to things that nourish your souls. Give the rest to worthwhile charities.

While these guidelines seem simple, they aren’t! If your religious practices are ritualistic or nonexistent you may find it difficult to reconnect to your souls. Charity has become an industry with over 1.5 million United States members. Some are fraudulent, others redundant, but offering paid jobs to organizers. Try to maximize your contribution to the alleviation of human suffering.

Should you choose to emancipate, I wish you success. You will be free to determine how and for what remuneration you will spend your time on our planet.

 

John E. Gibson

Owatonna