It isn't a big surprise to everyone how much we are a consumption culture especially around the holidays. It just becomes so apparent to how much we spend, even when we try not to, even with our best intentions. Giving thanks, sharing food, gifts, all of these things usually require purchasing. And strangely enough even though I am annoying with my mantra of don't spend, I need people to purchase from the company that I work for so that I can keep my job.
We have gotten ourselves out of balance such that we need our consumptive society to keep our society at all. Much of the debate over the last year with the USA recession and the pumping the system with money to protect jobs and the reductions we have seen are almost circular in their tales of woe. Job cuts mean reduction in spending, reduction in spending means companies need to be tighter with their budgets, more job cuts.
This makes me think about where the sustainability in all of this is. More jobs, a stronger economy means more for more right? We saw that a few years ago and that wasn't sustainable either.
The balance of wealth, stability of jobs and economy and the impact of consumption has not been figured out yet. And this topic is too big to try and break down in one posting, but I do think there is a model out there. Let's keep talking about it.
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