Greedy Greedsters

We have fucked up.

Our nation has been living with the misconception that we can have everything we want to day and pay for it– sometime, sometime in the far distant future. We charge, charge, charge. We want, we want, we want. If the card we have in our pocket isn’t enough, we open another account.

We do it, companies do it and our government does it. Heck, our government tells us to do it. You know who you’ve been trained to make rich, while you make yourself poor? The very corporate giants who pay their CEOs multi-million dollar bonuses for figuring out how to remove your money from your bank account.

Congratulations. You’ve been snowed.

Want the pretty house– the one you can’t afford to put furniture in? You should have it. Not only should you have it, but– let me promise you, says the commission hungry real estate agent– in a few years you’ll be able to retire off of the profit you make on it!

Diamonds? Oh, yes, darlin’– you should have diamonds. Nevermind their bloody history. Here, put them on my card.

Lexus? Mercedes? BMW? Hummer? I know it’s more horsepower than you’ll ever need. I realize, even though that Mercedes would last you three decades if you would only take care of it, you’ll just want something more expensive later. What’s a $700, or more, car payment a month? You’re worth it!

Give me a break.

Our wages aren’t going up, inflation is. We don’t have the money to pay for all of our wants. And– listen very closely– we don’t need most of what we want.

Look around your house. Do it. Look around, just where you’re sitting right now. How much of what you have in your home, in your office– how much of that stuff do you actually need? How much of it do you actually still want?

Our ever insatiable hunger for stuff, most of it useless crap we buy to prove that we can, has lead us to a giant, forboding valley. People are losing their beautiful new homes. Credit cards are maxed. Bankruptcy filings are hitting records, and I bet many, many more are thinking about bankruptcy (and how they will be able to afford the lawyers and court fees) right this very second.

The next time you want to buy something, pause.

Take a moment to think about why you want whatever it is you want. Are you trying to impress someone? Are you trying to be like other people who already have the same gadget? Are you addicted to collecting? to buying? Does it make you feel good?

Do you actually need it?

How are you going to pay for it?

Credit?

Think again.

We’re out.

How ya gonna cross the valley now?