Before I proceed I want to make it clear that I do not feel superior to anyone with a view that differs from mine. I will be quite critical of some people, but this is to bring a topic to light that is important to me and is something I hope you think about from another's perspective.
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I hate America's consumer culture. I feel most companies care far more about their bottom line and making more money than caring about the people who purchase their products. When you are forced to make decisions to pay out shareholders it often leads to money being more highly valued than people.
Needing the newest products to make our lives better is so ingrained into our DNA that we need to make a conscious effort to realize this is happening. Turn on the TV for ten minutes or open a magazine and what do you see? The newest cars, beauty products, jewelry and clothes. They are marketed toward us with the promise of more sex appeal, more fun, more leisure time and everything in between.
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How many times have we changed the channel only to see a new infomercial that we first laugh at, then we realize we could use it, then we must have it and not only do we get that product, but if we call now they will give us a bonus product for four easy payment of $19.99? And how many of us have infomercial product gathering dust in our closets and basements? Maybe 5-10% of these infomercial products make it into our daily lives
I'm not faulting advertising companies, because I understand they are a necessary part of most businesses. What I do dislike is when people become more interested in upgrading their more than adequate iPhone and at the same time do not have a care in the world for others who are facing life and death decisions while we are here in our little advertising bubble.
I love that people can freely choose what they do with their money, but I believe that many people spend quite selfishly and do not take the time to look at what is far more important. Human lives. I think it would be beneficial to all people to visit a third world country. Not a resort sipping unlimited mai tai's, but to see the poverty that many live with and their daily struggle to survive
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Many desperate people from these countries would jump for joy just to drink the tap water we have access to that many turn their noses up to. Because "only artisan water will do." I've witnessed with my own eyes young boys and girls filling jerry cans in Uganda with the dirtiest muckiest water because some sort of water is better than dehydration. I had the honor to help dig out some of the wells to make that dirty water clean with natural spring water flowing instead of the stagnant polluted water people were traveling to get. We rarely think twice about water. It's given away freely at restaurants and when people say they are "dying of thirst," it is almost always said in jest. Most of us don't know the struggle of walking miles to get our water.
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When you see people living with one pair of clothes and sheet metal houses held together with sandal straps, it puts into perspective the blessings we have. But usually we give no thought to this. We likely have closets filled with clothes we haven't worn in years. So what do we do? Get more during Black Friday sales of course.
Until you witness true poverty, it is hard to not follow along with our consumerist society. This post isn't meant to make you feel bad, but to make you aware that when you look at the majority of the world, even those at poverty level in our country would be like kings in other countries. I hope that people will be thankful for their blessings instead of jealous about what they haven't yet acquired.
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone?
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot - Joni Mitchell
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone?
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot - Joni Mitchell
