You know that old adage, "there's no such thing as a free lunch"? Well, I'm here to tell you that I (dis)respectfully disagree. Because, in my experience, there are absolutely such things as free lunches.
Like, when my best friend surprised me with a picnic at the beach on a lovely afternoon. Was there any catch? No. Was there any hidden cost? Not at all. It was just a fun, unexpected treat.
Or how about the time a stranger paid for my coffee when I didn’t have enough cash? No strings attached, no hidden fees. Just a small act of kindness that put a smile on my face and got me through the rest of a very difficult day.
Then, there's this one night, a good friend showed up at my apartment to gift me this really cute flower-shaped mug, simply because! And all the times my community, friends, and I cooked, baked, housed, and supported each other in different ways without expecting anything in return.
Photo by Krišjānis Kazaks.
Sure, there are situations where things that seem "free" come with a catch. 19th-century American saloons used to offer a free lunch to patrons who bought a drink. On the surface, it seems like a great deal, but let's be real here, there was always a catch. They'd load up the buffet with salty snacks like ham, cheese, and crackers, knowing darn well that it would make you thirsty and want to buy more beer. It's f*cked up.
It's a classic example of how, in our capitalist society, even something as basic as food is used as a tool to extract money from us. In the context of our current political system, where a small group of wealthy individuals and corporations hold disproportionate power and influence, it's clear that some people are eating quite a few free meals! The oligarchy that governs us ensures that the rules are written in their favor, allowing them to accrue even more wealth and power at the expense of the rest of us. The myth of meritocracy, that anyone can make it if they work hard enough, is just that: a myth. The game is rigged, and the oligarchs are the ones reaping all the rewards. It's what keeps us trapped in a cycle of constantly working and consuming, never truly able to break free from the daily grind.
It's easy to get caught up in the cynicism that comes with the notion that "there's no such thing as a free lunch.” It can make us suspicious of every offer and every gesture, and it can make us think that nothing is for free and we always have to look for the catch. After all, much of our world is engineered to lure us into fleeting pleasure, at the expense of our overall well-being and vitality in the long run. I’m cautiously optimistic that we’re getting better at telling the difference and revolting against it.
Our life as we knew it now belongs to yesterday Inside all the love and hate, we can now regenerate Stop how we'd been livin' every single day –Purge the Poison by Marina, Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land.
But there are also moments of pure generosity, where something is given with no expectation of anything in return. Not everything in this world is transactional–gifting and sharing our joy is our basic instinct, but capitalism has twisted it into something mercenary.
Free lunches really do exist, and they can be wonderful things.
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