Author: Andrew Arthur Dawson

A teacher of meditation, a motivational speaker, a reader of numerology, and a writer by trade, Andrew Arthur Dawson is a spiritual man devoted to serving his Higher Power and bringing a lot more light and love into this world. This blog, www.thetwelfthstep.com is just one of those ways...

The Never Ending Rise To Movie Ticket Prices

Every year it seems as if the cost increases to see a movie in the theater. While some might just say that’s due to inflation and the price tag involved with some of the special effects laden films being produced, there are several other things causing this as well.

The first one deals with something I’ve spoken previously about in this blog. It surrounds the fact that there are many people who aren’t paying for some of the movies they see in a theater because they are sneaking in from one film to another. I know of those that do this regularly, who spend the day in a theater seeing at least three films where they end up paying for only one.

A second reason why ticket prices keep going up deals with the varying options that now exist for movie goers. Many films can be watched in multiple formats including 3-D, IMAX, and then both of them together in a 3-D IMAX version as well. Theaters are now charging up to $3.50 for the 3-D alone and if one ends up seeing the 3-D IMAX combination, that could cost another dollar or more. I know of those who won’t ever go to the theater and see these type of movies because of that extra cost. But what I can’t understand is why the option doesn’t exist to allow a person to save the $3.50 off the cost of their movie ticket by holding on to their glasses from a previous movie outing. One would think that would save the movie theaters and movie companies some money because of the cost involved to shipping them somewhere, getting them cleaned, testing them to make sure they are still good, and then reshipping them back out to the theaters. Ironically, this is leading people to acts of deception when they bring in their own 3-D glasses, pay for a non 3-D movie, and sneak into one that is.

A third thing that’s happening to drive up the cost of a movie ticket is the piracy that’s happening lately with films. A friend of mine a few months ago told me he saw Baggage Claim on the Internet with his son on the same weekend it opened in the theaters. Between those illegal copies thrown up on the web and those being sold on the streets, thousands avoid having to go to the theater to see a film because of the easy access to seeing it for much less at home.

And then there’s my personal pet peeve that I believe is probably shared with many others. It’s one that definitely contributes to the decline of a tremendous amount of movie goers, which then in turn results in an increase in ticket prices. That deals specifically with the constant talking and cell phone use that goes on in a theater while the movie is running. I don’t think many people pay attention to those courtesy clips shown prior to a movie which ask people to not talk or use their phones during it. Often I see many conversations still going on between people, some quite loudly, and then there are those who will light up those white screens on their cell phones and start texting or talking on it throughout the movie.

Finally, it’s probably best to mention that the price of concessions is also related to the rising cost of of those movie tickets prices. People complain all the time about how expensive it is to get a large soda and popcorn at a theater these days but what they don’t realize is that the theaters earn less than 20 percent of the revenue from a ticket sale. The reason why the theaters stay in business is for the revenue they pull in with those high priced concessions. What stinks is that people either stop coming to the theater because of this, or they bring their own meals in, like a family did recently when I saw them eating McDonalds during a movie.

So I’m sure you can see a clearer picture now as to why the prices of movie tickets keep going up. It’s not just the fault of greedy movie production companies or theater chains as some might say. It’s not just because of the expanding options of movies like 3-D and IMAX that’s causing this. It’s not just because of those individuals who drive others away from the theater through their constant talking or cell phone use. Nor is it because of those individuals who cheat the movie system through illegal means like piracy and bringing food into theaters. All of these things are partially at fault but the sad thing is that I’m not sure if it will ever change.

Two famous directors, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, recently agreed on some level to this by hypothesizing that the cost of movie tickets will eventually be upwards of $50 to $100 to $150 in the future. I can’t imagine a time like that. While I know through my spirituality and dedication to God that I would never try to cheat the system to see a movie at that price, costing that much would definitely curb my movie going to a handful of movies as compared to the hundreds I probably see in a given year.

For now, I’m just glad the movie ticket prices aren’t that extreme and I accept the only thing I can do to keeping it that way is to not contribute to any behaviors that may lead to it. That being said, I don’t bring meals into the theater, I don’t text on my phone during a film, I don’t carry on full conversations when a movie is running, and I make sure to always pay for each film I see. While that may not do much to prevent the inevitable price increase of movie tickets, at least I know I’m doing my part in trying…

Peace, love, light, and joy,

Andrew Arthur Dawson

“Freddy The Freeloader”

Are you a cheapskate? Do people think of you as stingy? I know I was, solely because so many used to tell me so. But there were other terms that might have fit better and “Freddy The Freeloader” would probably be my favorite.

Have you ever had someone in your life that would only seem to be available to go out and do something that cost money when you were paying?

That’s Freddy The Freeloader.

Have you ever noticed how that same person always has the money to do things for themselves though?

That’s Freddy The Freeloader.

Have you ever noticed how that person fails to ask if you want anything when they are going to get themselves something to eat or drink?

That’s Freddy The Freeloader.

Have you ever noticed how you can treat that same person to many coffees and meals but you have to ask to receive even one coffee or meal from them in return?

That’s Freddy The Freeloader. And all of these examples are how I lived my life for a very long time.

When I used to live paycheck to paycheck and didn’t have much money to my name, I hoarded what money I had. I rarely, if ever, took anyone out for anything. I justified that principle through my lack of money, even though I really did have enough to do small things here and there for others. Instead, I protected what money I had and used it solely on things for myself. But I sure was quick to allow others during those times to treat me to coffees, dinners, movies, and even vacations as soon as they said they would pay. I would graciously say thank you afterwards and then go right back to a state of stinginess. For the numerous times that people did things for me that cost them rather expensive amounts of money, I would always tell myself I didn’t have a few bucks to buy them a single thing.

I lived my life this way the whole time I survived paycheck to paycheck. Ironically though when I began to come into greater sums of money in my life, none of this behavior changed. I remained that Freddy The Freeloader character and still claimed that I didn’t have enough money on too many occasions. I continued to expect others to pay for me or I just wouldn’t go participate in things with others that cost me money. I remained cheap and rarely offered to treat anyone to anything and even if I did, there was usually an angle to it.

The worst part about me being the Freddy The Freeloader character was that I always had enough money to do what I wanted to do with it and I didn’t hide that fact. Many saw how I took myself out to the places I wanted to and even treated certain people to things because I was wanting things from them like sex or companionship. But the idea of me just doing something nice for someone without being asked and without any hidden agenda was next to nonexistent.

I’ve realized today that any money I have is really not my money, it’s my Higher Power’s money. When I die, none of that money is going to go with me wherever I go. While I do know it’s important to make sure my bills and monthly obligations are being paid, I try to share what money I have left over these days. I am trying more and more to ask God to guide me in my use of money for a better purpose. Sometimes it involves randomly treating friends and even strangers to things at various places. Sometimes it involves buying a gift for someone just for the sake of it. And sometimes it involves donating it for the greater good. What’s even more interesting is that the more I’ve done these things, the more my Higher Power seems to provide me the money I need to keep going.  But all in all, I have done a lot to shed that Freddy The Freeloader image and I thank my Higher Power for that.

I truly hope you’re not a Freddy The Freeloader type of person like I once was. It only drives people away from wanting to be around you. I lost many friends because of being tight in all the wrong situations and places. So the next time you find yourself with a few dollars in your pocket, take a moment, breathe, and try to do something nice for someone else with it, without any hidden agenda, and without them having to ask you for it. Know in doing so that you’ll not only draw your friends in closer, but that you’ll also be taking one step into the Light and one more away from being the selfish and self-centered person that Freddy The Freeloader really is inside.

Peace, love, light, and joy,

Andrew Arthur Dawson

“When In Doubt, Don’t!”

I’ve often made many mistakes in my life solely because I made a decision to rush into doing something. During each of those times I’ve either discovered that I actually wasn’t really ready for the action I took or that it was never meant for me to do it in the first place. A wise teacher of mine helped me to change this pattern though when she spoke four simple words to me one day, “When in doubt, don’t!”

It seems like such a simple phrase doesn’t it? But it really does has profound truth to it. There are so many examples of times in my life where I had great doubt about an action I was going to take. In each of them, I realize now that if I had just remained patient, my Higher Power could have given me the best course to take with that action. Unfortunately, I had the tendency to never listen to those feelings of doubt, which in many cases was my inner guidance system trying to tell me to be still for just a little while longer. Instead, I usually rushed into taking some action that my brain was telling me to do, often out of fear. The results were frequently quite unpleasant in my life like you’ll see in the following examples.

The first one that comes to mind occurred when I was newly sober around the age of twenty-three. I had just come out of the closet as well and was starting to deal with the fact that I was gay. Within a few short months, I had met someone and began dating him. There were many warning signs early on in this relationship that were giving me plenty of doubt. Some of them included the fact that I had discovered he had a drug problem, massive financial issues, and was extremely codependent. I failed to heed any of these red flags and ignored all those feelings of doubt by moving in with him a short while later. Looking back, I know the reason why I rushed into this action was because I too was codependent and didn’t want to be alone. Two years later, after two geographical moves, many arguments, and a significant loss of my own money, the relationship crashed and burned.

A second one that comes to mind where I had plenty of doubt surrounding an action occurred a bunch of years later after I had met another partner who was much healthier. This time I did wait patiently for around a year to see where the relationship would head, instead of racing to move in with him early on. The doubt came a few years into the relationship when he lost his job and approached me with the idea of wanting to do a complete career change. He said he wanted to own a bed and breakfast and be an innkeeper. I spent some time with him going to some seminars and checking out some B&B’s for sale but I knew inside it wasn’t for me. When he approached me and said he was going to become an innkeeper with or without me, I got scared of the idea of losing the relationship. So I ignored my doubt once again by selling my house and investing all proceeds into one of the bed and breakfasts we had visited. Four years later, after countless disagreements and rage fueled fights surrounding the operations of that business, our relationship ended. Even worse, three years after that, the business went completely under and was sold as a short-sale.

The last one I’d like to share where I rushed into an action occurred twice in recent years. In both cases, there were two separate individuals in my life who approached me for a personal loan within a short period of time from each other. Both made great cases for the money and how it was going to save their lives. If doubt actually had a noise associated to it, I would have probably heard something as loud as an oncoming train blowing its horn in each of those cases. But given the closeness I had to the both of these people, my fear got the best of me and I again ignored the doubt by loaning them the money anyway. One was for $5,000 while the other was for around $800. To this day, neither have paid me back their loans nor are they even in my life anymore on any level.

The pain, the hardship, and the struggles I went through that came from these three examples was enormous. Sadly, they are only the tip of the iceberg of the many times I had doubt surrounding various actions where I raced into doing them anyway out of some type of fear. Because of this, I am listening these days to what that wise teacher once told me. When I feel significant doubt surrounding any action now, I don’t do anything and instead wait for direction from my Higher Power.

Case in point, I’ve been with my current partner for almost two years now, but we have lived several states apart the entire time. While I could have made the jump and moved in with him over a year and a half ago, my doubt was front and center each time I approached the decision. Time and time again I prayed for direction where many in my shoes would probably have given up waiting around for the answer to come. I waited patiently though and the answer finally came a few weeks ago indicating it was time to make the move, which I’m now preparing for.

Waiting patiently and living through the doubt is definitely a tough thing to do, especially when fear is involved. I’ve been practicing this for awhile now and it’s getting a little easier the more I do it. I pay a lot more attention to those feelings of doubt when they arise these days surrounding some action I’m thinking about taking. Each time they do I pause, pray, and wait for the answer to come no matter how long it takes. The consequences of not doing so have often proved to be quite disastrous in my life and I know that’s not worth the risk anymore. So the next time you are facing an action and feel any type of doubt surrounding it, I encourage you to take your own moment, breathe, and try to remember the same four simple words that I do, “When in doubt, don’t!” Doing so might just end up saving you a lot of pain and frustration.

Peace, love, light, and joy,

Andrew Arthur Dawson