The Best Things in Life Are Definitely Not Free - Essay Example

The best things in life are definitely not free. I have a friend who never seems to have any money in his pocket. It annoys me when we go out together that he will not willingly pay for anything. Alex has many little words of wisdom, and one of his favorite sayings is “the best things in life are free.” After one particularly tiresome episode, during which I found myself having to choose between paying for both of us to watch a movie, or miss out altogether because he had no money, I thought about his position and came to the conclusion that despite his glib assertion, the best things in life are definitely not free.

Of all the things that I value most, I would say that my own physical wellbeing and the health of my family members would come pretty near the top of my list. If a person is ill, or in pain, then enjoyment of any other benefit is meaningless, because suffering takes away the ability to concentrate on anything else. As the government keeps telling us, medical provision, education, fresh air, clean water and all the trappings of modern society are expensive commodities, and they need to be in place if people are to enjoy good health.

Alex is lucky, because he relies on the social support systems that were in place in his environment from the moment when he was born. This inheritance is, however, very far from free because millions of American taxpayers have worked hard to provide them. Alex, on the other hand, is a great believer in getting something for nothing. He is not too proud to rummage in garbage cans, or gatecrash parties and he often turns up when there is food around. He thinks that this is a fine way to avoid the expense of paying for his own existence, and claims that free food tastes better because of the satisfaction he gains from not having paid for it.

He is, however, mistaken if he thinks that there is no cost involved in his scrounging strategy. There are people who no longer count him as their friend, because they resent being used as a meal ticket by someone who only takes and never gives anything in return. Real friendship is not free: it costs time, effort, and yes, money, to maintain positive relationships with people. Alex is unwittingly excluding himself from the much richer benefits that committed relationships can bring. Nowadays people need gadgets in order to begin and maintain relationships.

Things that used to happen in face to face situations now take place across the internet, often using mobile broadband frequencies. Alex knows very little of this new world because he is too busy mocking the “geeks” who work hard at college. He does not realize that he is becoming marginalized from the very place that will provide employment and entertainment opportunities for most people in the future. When I think of Alex now, I pity him. He has dropped out of college, and lacks the skills to navigate this new cyber world.

Unless he starts to invest in himself, he will have little chance of a good job, and he is likely to spend his life in a backwater of lost opportunity. One day soon I hope that he will realize that the best things in life are definitely not free, but are those that we work hardest to achieve.