Going to the store today for a charging cable was a hefty reminder of where we are as a society. Every store I passed on the way had parking lots full of cars, and traffic on the roads to match. All in the name of holiday shopping. The practice of buying meaningless items produced for mass profit.
Okay, this is where you think I am going to go into some anti-capitalistic rant. No need to. It is what it is. This country was founded on capitalism and thrives on the existence of it to the expense of 99% of the country who churn like drones to make their fortune. To the point majority of the country who claim they are “conservatives” point fingers at government for economic conditions and the price of products such as fuel and food. Funny thing is, do they realize that the world is run by large corporations and their lobbyists and criminal organizations?
Our greed is our grievance.
The yearning for excess is becoming our demise.
Upon receiving a UPS overnight envelope earlier this week, I opened it without looking and found a demand letter from a mortgage lender. Being that I lease my home, I quickly found it was for the previous owners before my landlord purchased it. Curiosity gets the best of me at times, so I read the entire demand letter. It seems the previous couple had a home built (reason for selling this home) and closed on the very fancy home in July 2022. They never moved in. They closed on a loan for $438K and turned around and sold it a few weeks later for $630K. Yeah! Astonishing flip there. Problem is, they mortgaged with a HUD loan. This type of loan requires you to sign paperwork stating you must live in the home at least one year from the closing date. If you are purchasing property on the banks dime, they want their dime!
This is the problem. The dream of home ownership is no longer a dream. It is dirty and sleazy business. I live in a development in North Texas where transplants are flocking to. Most are from California, and boy can you tell. Being a native of North Texas all my life, it is easy to spot the California transplants. They are over-leveraged, and I nicknamed them Housing Gypsies. They literally move every two to three years and follow the housing market. It is not about planting your roots around your family and raising a family, it is about money. The status symbol vehicles, trendy clothing, luxury vacations, and everything else nicely displayed on Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, more. The average size of a house has become astronomical. Why? Because we hide in them with our “stuff”!
Meanwhile, there are people who never know what a saving account it due to the fact this “lifestyle” looks to be what must be achieved. There are also the people who live in poverty and actually strive just to get out of it, but the inflation driven by the excess loving consumer, makes it impossible.
Then you look at other countries. People live well under our “American standards”. Some even live in tents. You can throw the banter about third world country this and that and this is why America is great, but I can guarantee you, these people in living in impoverished countries have more compassion for their fellow human and family actually means something.
People immigrate to other countries because of poor living conditions, war, crime, and more. Yet we have ones shouting about closing American borders. Well, thing is, America is the biggest crime story in history. Some white male zealots came over and claimed this land that was theirs and wiped-out millions to have it. America was built on the back of indentured servants, Africans kidnapped into slavery, and even Asians. They do not tell that story in school. We just like to sweep that under the rug.
Millions of humans die each year due to famine, hunger, war, crime, and trying to migrate away from all of it. But we need to focus on hitting on the Black Friday sales and getting our kids more garbage than they actually need so they don’t resent us.
I look around and see kids and teens possessing an entitlement derived from what social media stated they should be, have, or do. Where are parents during all this? Working to supply these lifestyles. History lesson, this all started in the 1980s. Every decade it gets worse. The hunger for excess and materialism is what is driving us in the wrong direction.
How about spending a third of what you typically do on the holidays and look into donating money and/or time into a good cause. I promise there is a young child, person, or family that would appreciate it more than some expensive “thing” that ends up in a yard sales, eBay, or garbage.
Think about what you are doing this year. You are filling the pockets of corporation who pays low wages, makes stuff cheap and breakable, and could care less about human life. Source your gifts, and for a New Year resolution, start that with everything you do from here on out.
Tip all the couriers bringing your stuff. They work hard to keep the consumption of excess going.
dK