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To: Crocodile who wrote (49108)	1/10/2006 3:11:13 PM
From: epicure	Respond to of 104216

That's a good point about advertising. It's not really about selling you things you need- it's about selling you things you are supposed to want, because the advertisers tell you that you are supposed to want them. I was wandering around Santana Row (in San Jose- a temple to the shopping cult) with some friends last weekend, and all around us were people carrying logo purses, and wearing logo jeans, and walking in logo shoes- and that's fine, as long as you really love the way they look and they feel good, but I don't get wearing it just to show people you have the money to have the logo- unless that joy is equal to wearing really well fitting good looking shoes (one of my sensory needs is to have my feet comfortable- so I love shoes, but only shoes that feel really good (I'd also like them to look good, but really that's secondary to the way they feel.)) From what I read, about the deep neuroses out there in consumer land, most people don't seem to be handling the affluence all that well. I think if we all just thought about it a little more, and bought the things we really love (within reason), and were conscious of how lucky we are, and made better choices about what stuff we wanted, versus what life we wanted to spend to own the stuff (is that YSL purse REALLY worth a whole day's/week's work?)- then I think a lot of anxiety would just evaporate. But maybe not. Maybe people are just designed to be unhappy- in which case, I'm glad there is a defect in my manufacture :-)

To: Crocodile who wrote (49108)	1/11/2006 8:09:09 AM
From: Clappy	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 104216

RE: People rushing through life... Cell phones... Greedy fat consumers... I think it all part of the entire cycle of nature. What is hard for me at times is embracing it as much as I do when seeing worker bees gathering stuff to make honey and probably not noticing how beautiful the flowers are. For many it is a survival instinct I suppose. For others it might be fulfilling something that is missing in their life. Greedy corporations, pollution, war, fat consumers, politics, it all is part of nature. It self corrects just as any imbalance does. Many times I get caught up in it. Frustrated by it. Racing with them... But often feel blessed for being able to step back and observe. To see, hear, smell, and feel, everything going on around me. And just smile and appreciate it all like uh, "God" does, I suppose. It just seems to be a lot easier to appreciate it in the mountains than in the big city. And a lot easier not to get caught up in it when not sitting in front of a desk full of bills. -Clapper