"For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." 1 Timothy 6:10 (KJV)

A boy walks into the coffeeshop. He's dressed much like a French hobo. He's an artist. A very pure artist, in his opinion. He creates art out of raw emotion and spray paint. He's a talented kid. And he seems somewhat conscientious.

Currently my hobo friend is working on stencil art, and since I'm such a stencil (cheap-ass) utilitarian, I asked him to make a DoubleShot stencil. He seemed excited about it. I gave him creative freedom to make it however he wanted, while preserving my icon (the coffeestained 2). But this particular occasion, he seemed concerned as he approached my desk. He told me that he had never done any art for commerce. Never sold any of his art, never made anything for advertising or marketing of any kind. And he wanted to keep it that way. Pure.

I can understand that. If I didn't have to sell coffee, if I didn't need money, it would be a lot happier and easier to just give it away. To make it as good as I possibly could and then give it away to people who appreciated it. That would be ideal.

And to stand on priciple, no matter what. No matter how much it cost. No matter how long or hard I had to fight. To stand up for what is right, despite the pressures around me. That would be ideal.

To stand alone.

With no reward. Only pain and suffering for the truth.

That's a very difficult decision to make, my hobo friend. Choosing to make art that has no purpose, I guess is noble. But without a purpose, you aren't contributing to society; and if you aren't contributing to society, who will trade your time for food? And if your art does have a purpose, it is marketing. Maybe for a good cause, but commerce, nonetheless.

Having no food. Bearing the cross. Standing when you are tired. Enduring all things. That's the righteousness which has no pricetag.

And your cause is worth that. Mother Teresa's cause was worth it. Jesus' cause was worth it. The men and women who fought to gain and maintain the independence of the United States of America; their cause was worth it. Those who fought to abolish slavery and for civil rights. For women's suffrage. For someone you love. It's almost your duty to fight. It's your responsibility to stand against all odds.

But to stand against capitalism and free market economies? How about standing agains oxygen in the air because too much oxygen can kill plants. Or against cycling because Lance Armstrong always goes faster than you, and it seems like you're never going to get into the Tour de France. It's not fair.

How about this one: The guy with the most money can do pretty much whatever he wants. He has a lot more free time. He can afford to drive nice cars and live in a big house and eat rich food. He pays people to do things he doesn't want to do. If you have something he wants, chances are, he has a way to get it from you. Even if it's not right. There is only a certain amount of time in a day. Only a certain amount of time in a life. A guy who has accumulated (or whose family has) a great deal of wealth, has a lot of free time. He controls not only his time, but yours, to an extent.

Sure, you can choose to do whatever you want. You can spray paint on brick walls or run 100 miles or learn to play the bugle (or whatever). But let's say you have a nice bicycle. It's your pride and joy. And you're really good at riding it. And Rich Guy has a bicycle too. And he tells you that you can't have a bicycle because he has THE bicycle, and you are copying off him. And you tell him to go f*#$ himself. But in the end... say he offers you a million dollars for your bicycle. NO! Wait...

A million dollars for my bicycle?

How about a billion dollars for your bicycle?
IT'S MY BICYCLE! I have a right to own this bicycle.

See, at some point, time and money compete with principle. And I think it depends what you are fighting for. Your life? Your freedom? Or a bicycle.

I can understand why people sell out. They get tired. The rich guy offers them relief. That's capitalism, I guess. Figure out what Rich Guy wants and sell it to him.

Do I have a price? I don't know. Surely I do. I say it all the time: "Everything is for sale (almost)." I wonder where my breaking point is.

I sort of wanted to sit down and explain what money is and how marketing works to my French hobo friend. But I mulled it over in my brain for a long time, and then I watched him drive away in his BMW.

"And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." Matthew 19:24 (KJV)