Think about it. You are about to embark, once again, on the impossible dream. You will try to buy a gift for everyone, in the belief that everyone will buy a gift, of at least comparable value, for you. Of course no such thing will happen. Many will not even get you a trinket, and you cannot possibly buy something for everyone. So why even bother with the whole charade?
Half the time, you buy something, anything, simply to cross the person off your list. And heaven forbid, you do not purchase something of “true quality” (meaning much more than you can afford!) for that special someone. Why not show your love, by showing your love, directly. Why enrich OTHERS in order to express YOUR love?
Africans in America, if we were a separate country, our 900 billion dollar total yearly income would make us the eighth largest nation on earth! However, out of every dollar we earn, less than 20 cents is spent with Black businesses, and less than 2 cents is spent on investments. Others circulate their monies (much of it gotten from dollars we spend with them!) multiple times amongst their own. People from every ethnic group on earth are selling everything under the sun to us in our own community, while we often cannot even set foot in theirs.
Here’s a wild idea! This Xmas, if we have to shop, why not spend at least some of our money in Black businesses? And why not cut down our overall Xmas shopping, and invest the difference in stocks or bonds or save it towards a downpayment on a house, or for a fund to start up our own business?
You say you can’t cut down your Xmas list because of others’ expectations? But where are those expectations coming from? From the mind-numbing, hypnotizing ads on TV, the radio, newspapers, billboards and everywhere.
So why don’t we do this. Give gifts that counter the brainwashing. Give books written by our people, for our people. Give subscriptions to magazines, and newspapers, that we put out, that provide the facts and figures that we need to know in order to survive and prosper? Why not? Is there any good reason why not? But no matter what you do, above all please remember, “‘Tis the $eason to be $ensible!”….
( Arthur Lewin, www.AfricaUnlimited.com )
