Look at this stupid situation:

We (humans) waste like crazy and are causing a billion global problems for ourselves and other species on this planet. Climate change, pollution, deforestation, biodiversity loss, and a ton more.

Why? Because of the way we (8 billion humans) organize ourselves.

How’s that? Well, to get almost anything we need or want- including our basic needs- we have to participate in a rat race. We have to sell something, someone, or ourselves. We have to convince others that they should buy more shit. Shit that they don’t need. Shit that doesn’t make them happy (though we’ll try to convince them that it would, though it won’t). Shit that will contribute to more waste, more pollution, further climate change, and more destruction.

That’s the only way to get our basic needs met in this society- through trading (trading resources, trading our own time and energy, etc.). Meanwhile we trash close to 50% of the food we produce, we throw away more clothes than everybody could wear, we have more empty houses than homeless people, etc.

Let me repeat: we, humans, waste like crazy, yet we force each other to sell more and more shit- just to get our basic needs met.

And we call ourselves “civilized.” Ha ha ha.

Now here’s my personal stupid situation:

I haven’t had a “job” in years. Instead, I’ve been busy working on a book, helping with some projects, going out in nature, things like that. I have NOT been consuming/buying anything except food/very few basic things.

In the past, I had savings. Now, I am completely out of money. Long story short, I need to make some money so I can contribute to things like food and rent (just the basic needs!).

So now I am ready to work! I am ready and willing to go back to the job game, however awful it may be.
And imagine this- I even have a few job offers. I am a certified divemaster, and a scuba diving shop offered me a full-time contract which would pay 1,400 euros a month for the next three months! -They want me to work there, they said I can start now, they can even make me a contract. Woo hoo!
And another place- a bar/restaurant- said they have work for me! They desperately need staff- and they’d love to hire someone like me who has years of bartending experience! They want to hire me now!

Oh but no… No no no. I am not “allowed” to work here in Europe. That’s what the authorities say. It doesn’t matter that this dive shop and this bar desperately need staff and they really really want to hire me, no that doesn’t matter- because I don’t have the right papers. You see, I was not born in Europe, therefore I cannot work here.

But wait! There’s a solution, right? Didn’t I “marry” Tio two years ago precisely for this reason? So we could live legally in one place together. Shouldn’t those “marriage documents” give me the right to live and work in Europe? I mean, if my “husband” is European, doesn’t that give me some rights here?!

Um, no, not if he’s poor, it turns out. If my “husband” doesn’t make at least 1,000 euros a month, then I have no rights. I cannot get residency just like that and I cannot legally get a job. Imagine that! If my “husband” doesn’t make enough money then I also cannot work! Who’s brilliant idea was this?!?!

And to put the icing on the cake- I also cannot leave Europe and go make money somewhere else- because now I am like an illegal immigrant with an “irregular” status, so the lawyer that we cannot afford to pay told us that we ought to sort out this paperwork or else the cops could stop me at the border and deport me or who knows…

So to sum it up:
- We live in a retarded society that wastes like crazy
- We force each other to trade even for our basic needs
- I am willing to play the trade game
- I am not allowed to play the trade game in my current location (EU)
- I should be allowed to play the trade game here because I am “married” to an EU citizen
- I am not allowed to play the trade game here because my “husband” doesn’t play it well enough himself
- I am not allowed to leave the place that I am not allowed to play the trade game in and where my “husband” doesn’t play it well enough- or else I could get in trouble.

And, btw, when we were going through that awful bullshit “marriage” procedure we didn’t know about any of this. We understood that after getting “married,” we just had to come back to Spain and register at the international police and then I could get the right to live with my “husband” and work here. But no, it turns out, not unless he’s rich.

What’s that about “equality” and “human rights” EU????? What? what??
Go suck a possum.