How To Actually Follow The Colors Of The Wind

No Profit, No Effort

I currently attend a small music school to take drum lessons and play in a band. Through this school, I am able to preform at venues like bars. I was recently given the opportunity to design a poster for my upcoming show, which will be sold during the concert. When my dad asked if I was interested, I said, “Will I get paid?” When he replied no, I refused the offer.

I am a creative person. I love designing pretty slideshows and posters, but it’s usually for school assignments. When given the opportunity to do something outside of that, I could only think of money. To me, this is a reflection of how society is so obsessed with money, worth, and wealth.

We, collectively as a society, understand that money is a good indicator of success in America. So, we see little worth in doing things for free. However, earning our paychecks can sometimes be our only goal, so we forget to appreciate littler things. Everything today has a price attached to it; nothing is simply given to people. This, in turn, causes us to reject things that are free. If they are free, they are probably worthless, right?

Pricing The World

A line recently jumped out at me from a Disney movie, Pocahontas. The movie dives into complex topics such as racism, colonization, and environmental consciousness. However, I found a single line within a song that resonates with me so deeply regarding money. In the song, “Colors of the Wind,” Judy Kuhn sings the words, “Come roll in all the riches all around you // And for once, never wonder what they’re worth.” Not only does the lyric hint at understanding and appreciating nature, but also at the idea that humans are too caught up with money, class, and status. To appreciate the world without the burden of money lingering on one’s mind is to relish in the beauty that was gifted to society by the universe. 

Something like nature, calming and beautiful, is overlooked because it cannot make profit on its own. Only when the trees are chopped and the animals are skinned can there be money made. Yet, logs and pelts do not bring happiness. Happiness is given to those who appreciate the world independent from profit. It is given to those who can notice the colors of the wind.

Small Fix

Money has become the center of the world, yet it is volatile and inconsistent. It has stripped society of passion. To look at the world in its wonderful entirety is to ignore its profitable potential. I only dream of a day when dollar bills are simply artifacts.

Following passion, love, and happiness will always be more fulfilling than following money. In today’s world, it’s hard to disregard it, though. I know that because I spend time planning my own future expenses and salaries. However, finding gratification in situations separate from money is incredibly important as a society.

We must look at the world and not wonder what it’s worth in dollars, but what it means to us.