- “It is not wrong to want to live better; what is wrong is a style of life which is presumed to be better when it is directed toward ‘having’ rather than ‘being,’ and which wants to have more, not in order to be more but in order to spend life in enjoyment as an end in itself.”
Pope John Paul II
Centesimus annus
In the United States consumerism is taking over. Not only has it become almost a national religion but in the days following September 11 the Bush administration was on TV telling people to go out and buy stuff for the good of the country. Thus equating consumerism with patriotism. Patriotism is not about spending beyond our means to perpetuate the status quo.
There is this sort of conventional wisdom that one can find happiness in things. Work more to make more money to buy more things to be happy. However, that happieness is fleeting. As soon as the novelty of the faster computer or fancier car wears off the cycle starts again.
Now it is getting closer to the holidays and time to look for gifts for my nieces and nephews. I always enjoyed finding gifts for them--musical instruments, books, art supplies, etc. But this year I am considering something different. I might end up doing something like a gift to charity in their names. (Just what a kid wants. LOL)
There are great programs like Heifer Project International which gives livestock and trees to families around the world and then provides them with training. You can get a goat ($120) or a share of a goat ($10) or some other animal for a poor family. I just know that that family will appreciate that goat (and its milk, manure, and offspring) a lot more than my niece would appreciate the latest "cool" toy.
My family thinks that I am nuts because I don't have this drive to earn lots money. As long as I can feed myself and have a place to live and clothes to wear I am OK.
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