Rambling. Maybe I'll fine-tune it to make sense later.

I've come to realize that the job market in Rohnert Park (and NorCal in general) sucks. So does the economy, so does money in general. It's the root of all evil and whatnot, but it also makes the world go 'round. So evil makes the world go 'round?

More important than silly sayings, money enables us to eat, live comfortably, and buy materialistic things that probably shouldn't matter, but who doesn't like a new pair of shoes or a new video game?

I probably sound selfish, talking about how it's okay to want money to buy things we don't really need: cute clothes, electronics, Starbucks; there are plenty of people all over the world who would give their lives just to keep their children fed for a week. But when you think about it, is there really any way to fix that? Even if the entire planet is rich, will everyone ever have all the same things?

My philosophy on life is a complex and hard-to-explain one, but it basically sums up to this: happiness is enlightenment, it's the ultimate goal. Make yourself happy, no matter what you need to do--be who you want to be, because that's the key to being happy. Life's some kind of huge competition, and you win if you live a long, happy life, in my eyes.

In tune with my own philosophy, you should be who you want to be because you'll be happier that way, and making yourself as happy as you can is the ultimate goal with life. Things make us happy. Whether they're events, ideas, thoughts, relationships, or physical objects, things make us happy. We need money for most things--not thoughts or ideas, but some people without education or means can't remember, execute, or write down what's on their mind. Some of us have money and some of us don't--neither one is usually the person in question's fault or doing. It's just fate, how things work, life in general.

So whether you're made happy by a new car or just food for the day, whether it takes money to make you happy or not, try and be who you want to be, whatever floats your boat.