The Price Of Insanity

Facebook Syndication Error

“Go get me the paper stretcher.”

- My Dad, getting rid of me at age 15

Bed Security

There's a lot I miss about being married or in a serious relationship. Cuddling on the couch when we'd watch TV, cooking a grandiose meal for two, taking naughty showers…
Alone In A Movie Theater

You know what's great about a weekday matinee movie? Not only is it cheaper but every once in a while, you can get the whole place to yourself.

It's…
A Legacy of Humor

It's every humor writer's goal to write humor that is not only funny, but lasts a lifetime. A good humorist strives to make his experiences in life relatable and enjoyable…
Giada de Laurentiis And Emeril Lagasse

Giada de Laurentiis is just plain hot. There's no getting around it. Not only does she know her stuff about cooking and food, but she's as sexy as…
Stealing Our Tennis

I was hanging out with a bunch of guys watching the US Open on television the other week. We were watching the women's game (no comment) between Venus Williams and…
The Lyric Mangler

It's a complete mystery to me. How my five year old nephew can remember the words to every song he hears. How he can recite entire passages from movies verbatim. …
The Six Dollar Store

The other day, I was visiting with my parents and my Mom exclaimed with the fervor of a teenager that she found a six dollar store. A six dollar store? …
The Last Potato

This past Sunday night, I ate dinner at my parent's house. Also in attendance were my sister and her new husband. It was a simple dinner of grilled hot dogs…
The Chicken Leg

I was eating chicken with a friend the other day, just shooting the breeze and enjoying a nice leisurely meal. He's not necessarily an odd guy, grooms himself decently enough,…
Zero Car Loyalty

Nascar is the biggest sport in America, believe it or not, and its roots originated here in the South. Illegal moonshiners in the mountains would spend their time and money…

The Price Of Insanity

Written by Ross Cavins

Friday, 07 September 2007 01:08

I was telling a friend last night about a movie I'd just seen on IFC, Intacto. It's an amazing foreign film that's totally refreshing and brilliant, especially after being bombarded with a steady barage of predictable Hollywood films. I didn't want to ruin it for him so I just told him of the opening scene and how it began like the movie, The Cooler. The similarity ends after five minutes, and although both movies are good, Intacto was spectacular and cinematic.

When I told him the movie's central theme was luck and the games lucky people play, he interrupted me. He told me the story of his cousin who had a cushy job in the corporate world making six figures. He had it made and after a weekend of playing internet poker, he quit his job. In a few short days, he'd cleared sixty thousand and decided he could do that for a living.

Alice In Wonderland, Choosing Her Insanity.

His whole family told him he was crazy, insane even. He'd lost it, giving up a sweet job making mega-bucks to become a professional gambler. But he'd always played poker, for fun and for small stakes, and he was pretty good at it. He had a system. And more importantly, he won more than he lost.

Now, here's a man with a family and obligations who gives up a steady well-paying job to spend his days gambling. Sounds crazy, right? But let's look at this differently. Don't we gamble every day in some way or another? Isn't riding a bus or hopping a subway or driving a car somewhat of a risk? And nowadays, isn't working for a corporation a form of gambling? Business can change at any moment and any number of people above you on the totem pole can make you and your job redundant.

Is this guy crazy for giving up a "sure bet" to gamble for a living? He loves to play poker and from what I understand, his job left more than a little to be desired, except for the money. With my unscientific calculations, we spend around 40% of our waking lives working a 40-hour a week job. Most of us don't really care for our job, but if you don't like it, why do you do it? For the money? Well, isn't that what this guy was able to do without putting the 40 hours into a crappy job to get it?

He shifted where he spent his time to something he loved doing and not only is he making more of that money stuff, he's having more fun doing it. Isn't that what we all strive for?

I ask you, which situation is more insane? Spending 40% of your waking life doing something you don't care about (which is essentially wasting your time) or spending that same time on a pursuit you love? Who's paying the price of insanity here? The drones living safe mundane lives or the adventurers following their dreams?

Think about it. What is your passion? Can it pay your bills? Are you willing to take the chance to achieve your dreams when your family and friends will label you insane? Step in the light and join us crazies. But I warn you, you'll never see the world the same again.

Tell me, which pill shall you swallow, Alice?

< Prev		Next >