hopelesshappiness.com

In today's America I believe opportunity is more equally distributed than in decades past BUT only within each stratum of wealth, and the further one's stratum is from the greatest wealth the more unequal opportunity becomes, and the opportunity gap between the top 10% and the bottom 10% has grown wider and wider and opportunity between the strata has become more and more unequal since the 1980s. I also believe that those in the bottom 10% strategically have very very little to no opportunity, allowing those in the top 10% to point at the bottom 10% and manage the layers in between with the admonition to be grateful for what they have, and those in the layers in between are afraid of saying too much. For the top 10% to narrow the gap by creating more opportunity (which is in their power to do) is inimical to their capitalist creed.

This dearth of opportunity, this refusal by the wealthy, (though a significant distance) is still a direct line from the hot pain of a whip flaying strips of skin from my naked back all in an effort to teach me my place and to be grateful for the pain and the humiliation.

My last day as a bank teller is Monday, August 18, 2025; that is 169 days employed in the position. I have learned a lot.

In my letter of resignation I cited as the predominant reason the fact that we were chronically short-staffed coupled with the constant pressure on the bank tellers to make referrals in an effort to sell customers on additional accounts, loans, credit cards and other bank services. I expressed my frustration over the clash between “Legendary Service” and “sales goals” - both stated objectives that in practice (most especially in a busy branch) are often opposed. I had no idea this would be a go-team, rah-rah kind of job. The other reason I cited as less influential but still noticeably noticeable was ageism; (see this previous post). A day or two after giving my notice I was contacted by my great-grandboss who made a strong and (I believe) sincere effort to retain me. She spoke to my concerns and did reassure me that my performance and what I offered the company exceeded expectations, but in rethinking my resignation I reminded myself of the underlying essential reason(s) for my desire to leave.

Capitalism is a cult…

…and a Cult can range from uncaring to cruel to murderous.

…and a bank (more blatantly than some other institutional followers) promotes and perpetuates.

Drawing from this website (cultrecovery101) which is consistent with other similar sites, if one accepts capitalism as a living breathing leader, (which it is), it hits on every named cult characteristic:

• “The group is focused on a living leader to whom members seem to display excessively zealous, unquestioning commitment.”
• “The group is preoccupied with bringing in new members.”
• “The group is preoccupied with making money.”
• “Questioning, doubt, and dissent are discouraged or even punished.” There is a stigma connected to socialist ideas.
• “Mind-numbing techniques (such as meditation, chanting, speaking in tongues, denunciation sessions, debilitating work routines) are used to suppress doubts about the group and its leader(s).”
• “The leadership dictates sometimes in great detail how members should think, act, and feel.”
• “The group is elitist, claiming a special, exalted status for itself, its leader(s), and members.”
• “The group has a polarized us-versus-them mentality.”
• “The group’s leader is not accountable to any authorities.”
• “The group teaches or implies that its supposedly exalted ends justify means that members would have considered unethical before joining the group.”
• “The leadership induces guilt feelings in members in order to control them.” — Guilt and Shame.
• “Members’ subservience to the group causes them to cut ties with family and friends, and to give up personal goals and activities that were of interest before joining the group.” Goals such as altruism, empathy, and respect.
• “Members are encouraged or required to live and/or socialize only with other group members.”

This past Monday at the bank our weekly pep rally celebrated our investment advisors. We were reminded that we have a fiduciary responsibility to act in the best interest of our clients who have $50,000 or more, and that includes (per the ‘Wealth Referral Guide’ handout) widening the wealth gap (Investment Management and Financial Planning), perpetuating unequal opportunity (Education Planning), inflating the bank's bottom line (Fee Structure), and minimizing empathy, respect, and necessary services for the poor (Tax Management). And as far as I can see we are not required to act in the best interest of those clients with less than $50,000 and we believe we are doing them a favor (teaching them about Capitalism) by offering them (imposing upon them) our Fee Structure: Non-Sufficient Funds fees, Overdraft Protection fees, Account fees, ATM fees, Check fees, Transaction fees, fees on top of Interest, and more.

In other words, wealth is power; proximity to power is not wealth.

In other words, without wealth the individual counts for nothing.

In other words, we have an ethical responsibility to act unethically.

In other words, we prioritize the best interest of the wealthy over the best interest of Humanity.

In other words, Capitalism is a Cult…

Touchstone: “something that serves as a standard or basis for comparison.”

It is more than that.

For me, a touchstone is larger than a simple benchmark or point of reference.

For me, a touchstone grounds me; it brings me back into myself; it reminds me of how small and temporary I am; it calms and comforts and soothes and claims me; it battles my ego; and it encourages me and inspires me to do better.

• A traditional recipe handed down through generations, perhaps tweaked to reflect a tiny-little-small bit of myself.
• A familiar song or record that always and forever moves my head, heart, and hips.
• A good book.
• A long walk, outdoors.
• A family meal.
• An unexpected laugh.
• Service to others.
• Serious, respectful communication.
• A sense of wonder.
• An appreciation for darkness.
• A thoughtful passage, well-written.
• A job well done.
• A literal stone to touch; one that's been embedded in the earth for hundreds or even thousands of years.

These are my touchstones.

I am in the process of writing a Cookbook. My thoughts in the paragraphs below are written to this specific end.

Writer Norman Maclean on page 161 of his book “Young Men and Fire” makes the claim that “the problem of identity is always a problem, not just a problem of youth.” I wholeheartedly agree. I have spent my entire life working to find myself; I am still trying to figure out who I am. Mr. Maclean goes on to say, “the nearest anyone can find himself at any given age is to find a story that somehow tells him about himself.”

In this cookbook is a story of family and food and friendship and philosophy and music and art and effort and chaos and control. In this cookbook is a story that tells me (quite a lot) about myself. I feel it would be presumptuous of me to set any expectation as to what you may find, but I do actively hope that you will at least find some utility and/or a bit of enjoyment within these pages. If I have set a low bar and if I exceed expectations, so much the better.

I am a mandated reporter; that is one who is legally required to report suspected abuse or neglect including threat of harm. Last week I completed my yearly training for my substitute teacher certification. I was reminded of the following:

• Threat of Harm is “substantial risk of harm to [one's] health or welfare.”
• Neglect is “a failure of caretakers to provide adequate emotional and physical care [including] failing to provide food, clothing, shelter or healthcare that is necessary.”
• Physical signs of neglect include “Looks undernourished and is usually hungry [and] is consistently dirty and has severe body odor [and] lacks sufficient clothing for the weather [and] lacks needed medical or dental care.”
• Behavioral signs of neglect include “Begging for or stealing food [and] abusing alcohol or other drugs [and] engaging in risky behavior [and] a poor ability to relate to others.”
• Mental Abuse “can mean any mental injury which shall include only observable and substantial impairment of [one's] mental or psychological ability to function, caused by cruelty.”
• Cruelty is to willfully or knowingly cause pain or distress.

In the context of this training, these definitions were specific to school-age children but by leaving out the references to children they translate easily to a much larger picture. So my question is, who do I report us to? As a nation and as a culture we are guilty, and as individuals we are complicit. We knowingly and often willingly cause pain and distress by ignoring the homeless, by allowing the threat of evictions, by attaching a stigma to hunger and food insecurity, by stratifying healthcare, by suffering Capitalism. We talk the talk when it comes to our children, but we don't even do that much for distressed adults. And how much of that fallout lands on our children, often despite the best efforts of one or more parents and/or caregivers? And how can our abused and neglected children grow up to be anything but distressed adults?

There are currently more than 750,000 homeless on our American streets. More than 3.5 million evictions are filed each year taxing our system of Justice demanding that it dole out injustice. More than 18 million households in America suffer from food insecurity, uncertain of where, when, how, or what, and too anxiety-ridden to worry over why. Healthcare, housing, education, sustenance, childcare, employment, and credit are necessities that have been turned into commodities that are subject to the whims of capitalism. Perhaps our ignorance would be understandable if there were no solutions, but the problems could be easily solved and our lack of concern is inexcusable. As stated in a previous post, Pulitzer Prize winning writer Matthew Desmond in his book “Poverty, By America” says “By one estimate, simply collecting unpaid federal income taxes from the top 1 percent of households would bring in some $175 billion a year. We could just about fill the entire poverty gap in America if the richest among us simply paid all the taxes they owed.” (Page 137). Today instead of Equality, Liberty, Individualism, and the Opportunity to Pursue Happiness, we are driven by Threat of Harm, Neglect, Mental Abuse, and Cruelty: America is not a great country.

America is no longer even a good or decent country; and each and every one of us is complicit.