We really do have a goal-oriented, progress-oriented, technology-oriented, travel-oriented, work-hard and play hard, time is money,
have-to-have-that-product approach to life. When you stop and think about it...its messed up. But such is the rich tapestry of life. Its not any particular service/device which seems wrong. There is a guy in Djibouti charging you 3 eggs to circumcise your goat and bless your family with the ashes of the burned foreskin. Why do I care?
What is disturbing is that we have a (seemingly) insatiable need for all these things and when all is said and done......after we piss away the best years of our lives so we can stay on this "ride" which is the consumer driven economy......we don't seem one bit happier for it. The seams of our lives are joined with glue called "needs and wants". We sell ourselves by pandering to the "needs" of a company. We try to persuade corp. America that they need our skills so much that they are prepared to pay us X dollars each week. Wy do we engage in this demeaning practice?....because America inc. has successfully persuaded us (collectively) that we really NEED to have premium cable channels, DVD players, minimum two and a half baths, a new car every 2 years, piano lessons for the kids, sneakers made from hi-tech materials, the latest diet craze, the latest health machine, a vacation to Aruba, a big TV, extra-green
lawns, Britney Spears new CD, Pizza with cheese in the crust, a device for turning chickens while they roast, the George Foreman
grilling thing, extra double latte, a $5 bag of popcorn at the movie theater, whiter teeth, dog treats which smell like bacon, the Time Life "Best Hits Of The 70s", a new cell-phone, a bigger monitor, more computer memory, a personal digial assistant, Nintendo gamecube, High Definition TV, an inground pool, a jucuzzi sauna, Cable internet, special bags for protecting your food from freezerburn, new Oxiclean which cleans anything better, central AC, a bloomin' onion, an electric stomach muscle stimulator, skin enriching creams, expensive designer boxer shorts, a watch which works 50meters underwater, a nosehair trimmer, a clap-on clap-off device for the lamp,
a jewellery cleaning device, something to make your golf swing better, an expensive moutain-bike, a new snowboard, a GPS
device, night-time vision binoculars, a barbie-doll's house, a tree house for the kids, a teddy bear which talks back at you,
a trainset made from real wood, a mont-blanc pen, new surround sound speakers, Dolby Digital 5.1 amplifier, shirts which
don't wrinkle, pants which are "nice", no smudge mascara, healthier more vibrant looking toenails, better financial advice,
a home security system, motion detectors on the lights, a flashlight which charges itself, brigher whiter lightbulbs, toilet paper
which won't scratch yer bum, antifreeze which works at 60 below and 30 million above, better kitchen knives,
an ear-thermometer, some perfume for the air to make it seem fresher, bleach alternative Tide, anti-bacteria sneaker liners,
a device for rewinding VHS tapes, some golf clubs and maybe a trolley, contact lenses, a digital camera, a Dremel drill, an
Andersen sliding patio door, premium sound in the car, a TV in the kids room, a Zip drive, a Wagner paint sprayer, a John Deere
ride on lawn mower, a better nights sleep, an air humidifier, a dehumidifier, all-wheel drive, a juicer which juices garden stones,
pimple hiding cream, a Sing And Snore Ernie, a GameBoy, a HEPA-filter vacuum, pills for stomach ache, back ache, diahorrea,
constipation, red itchy eyes, blue balls ................. and.................................. the latest drug which will make you less anxious.

There is some argument that we should be pitied as much as we are envied.