Empty on a full stomach

I snuck out of the house for an hour and a half to catch a coffee with an old friend. We hardly see each other these days as life has happened, but we used to spend pretty much every weekend together for years, mostly drink or hungover. Those were the days. :)

As she said tonight, now it is two glasses of wine and the hangover lasts a week.

This is the view looking up from our cafe table and it reminds me of a shot out of an airplane window.

I really should get out more.

We had some interesting discussions but one was about the consumer life we are setting kids up for. She was talking about parents buying their kids expensive items of clothing at younger and younger ages as well as providing money with no expectation of work required. Essentially, spoiling children.

I think we are setting them up for a life of debt service as it is like a drug dealer, the first taste is free where the cost arrives later. The problem is that in order to buy later a job is required that can not only service living costs but also provide the luxury items. The feeling that going without those items is suffering is already causing many to go into debt to have them.

It is more than keeping up with the Jones', people identify themselves with the products they own. This means that people live their lives to consume and if they can't, they feel they aren't living well.

Couple this with the constant disconnection from real relationships through technology and I think it is a recipe for dissatisfaction and depression as people feel that their life is missing something - even if that something is just the latest gadget advertised on the side of a bus. A life of longing and when it comes to products, there is an endless supply of new and improved to crave. Consumerism is an addiction and more pervasive than heroin.

Of course, many people think that I am crazy as I have spoken about these things for years. I talk to and hear about a lot of depressed people who feel unfulfilled by life yet also do not go out of their way to work out why. Instead, they look to fill their world with distraction, entertainment and products in an attempt to fill that void.

The consumer life is insatiable and unless one has the means to satisfy every desire, will leave people feeling empty. Perhaps I am wrong but I don't hear many people who love the debt cycle they have become a part of yet, they still find a way to have that new phone, car or holiday.

Taraz
[ a Steem original ]
_{(after a coffee and slice of pie)}