For the first edition of Thinking outside the bubble, I want to introduce myself. Who I am, my background, what I enjoy. Publishing this column every issue means that I will be talking about real time events or something that happened months or years ago- who dropped an album, what’s happening in politics, how influential the Kennedy’s were (but I think there have been enough books on that subject…), a new croissant added to the menu at my favorite cafe, really anything. I thought I would start it off with one of my favorite essays I have written. I wrote this for my AP Language and Composition class last year, around the one year anniversary of my Grandpa, or Papa’s, passing. I hope that it is enjoyable enough to finish.
As an impatient toddler, I was always asking for more. More cake, more “Elmo”, more time to play outside, always more. To all these requests my dad would recall the phrase “You can’t always get what you want”, almost always followed by flipping on the seven minute hippie statement piece off the Rolling Stones 1969 album, “Let it Bleed”. This song became a steady playing soundtrack to my formative years considering my temper. While the song played on, my red face and tears would be replaced by a joyful smile from ear to ear, singing the repetitive chorus, yelling on and on, “You can’t always get what you want”. At the time, these seven words meant I couldn’t have more time to play in my sandbox, but now as a young woman they leave me puzzled. Later, my Dad told me that his dad, my Papa, utilized this song as a parenting device as well. On its face, the idiom is an easy way to shut down an explosive tantrum of a five-year-old, but when pondering the sentence longer it can lead to a deeper meaning of the human experience. You may always want more, but it’s what you do with what you have that defines you.
I was reintroduced to this song in February 2023 as my family was preparing for my Papa’s memorial service. One of my Papa’s favorite enjoyments in the final years of his life was to watch me sing and play my guitar, or so my Nana has told me. My Nana asked me to play the song during the service, something I unhesitatingly did. As I was preparing to play the song, memorizing the chords, the lyrics and imagining what it would be like to play in front of everyone my Papa was closest too, I started to try to put meaning behind the words I was projecting. My Papa was a man who enjoyed the simpler things in life. His best memories were those sitting in the backyard, surrounded by family, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles or Bob Dylan blaring out of a speaker, a beer in hand and laughter filling his ears. When thinking of these memories, these were the things he enjoyed most. It was enough for him. He got what he “needed” out of life, as Mick Jagger sings.
This simplistic life can be contrasted with the lifestyles of the ultrarich. Those on Forbes list of top Billionaires. The most wealthy in the world. Such as billionaire rapper, Jay Z, who made his fortune through his brands, investments and music. He has bought multi-million dollar homes in Miami, New Orleans and the Hamptons, some estimated over 100 million. He has purchased name brand cars such as Bugatti and Rolls Royce, to fill the garages of his lavish houses around the country. This life of glamor is quite different from my Papa’s life. Although I dont know Jay Z personally, like many other wealthy Americans, I can imagine these purchases were fueled with the idea of seeking satisfaction. Always “Keeping up with the Joneses”. If this excessive amount of money is available to those like Jay Z, will they ever feel as though they have enough or have done enough? Will an endless supply of sports cars and diamonds fill an unquenchable hunger within them? In other words, will they ever “get what they want”? When I see this lifestyle I see an insecurity. Did my Papa have the most elaborate home in his city? No. Was he ever one to buy designer clothing? No, but he was rich in his heart. He knew he had what he needed. A loving family, a cozy house, a loving wife.
On the flip side, billionaires, like Jay Z, did earn their money. They gained their wealth through years of hard work and had an end goal in mind. A goal of to provide for themselves and the people closest to them. For many of the rich, it didn’t happen in the span of a few months, but rather years. The money is the result of their work, and they should enjoy it. But as the Stones alludes to, you can’t get everything you want. That end goal of money and a glorious lifestyle blinds some. It makes some not value life experiences but material items. This has been happening for hundreds of years, a classic tale. Some who were of the same caliber overstimulated with this type of environment would try to escape it. Even in the late 18th century, famous poets, such as William Wordsworth, who were overwhelmed by the fame and flashy lifestyle of wealthy people would retreat to solitary cottages surrounded by nature to write and enjoy a quiet life with friends and family. This is what I believe my Papa would have done if he acquired millions overnight.
I know that no amount of Rolex watches or diamond rings could be traded for a loving life full of experiences. Even as I grow older and want those things, I will know that it might not be what I need, as the song goes. When Mick Jagger and Keith Richards put pen to paper way back in the 60s, they wrote something that would ring true for decades. You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need.
