6 Month Lesson #1 - Distance and Maturity

I am 6 months and 6 days into my 100 Thing Challenge. Half-way through. Have I learned anything? I thought I would take a few posts to reflect on some lessons learned.

This past weekend Leanne and I went to a mall. I was looking for a replacement belt and pants. It had been 6 months or more since I had shopped at a mall. That distance provided an eye-opening perspective. Sheesh the mall is a messed-up place! Everywhere you turn the mall is focused on self-interest and one upmanship and ignorance.

I am beginning to develop a theory of sorts. If you remove yourself from some thing for a period of time and then return to it and find that it is not necessary, you should ask a question: Since this thing is clearly not necessary, is it possible that it is detrimental?

Is that confusing? Here’s what I mean. For example, an addict who overcomes a drug problem can look back years later and say, “Not only were those drugs unnecessary -- I am living a perfectly happy life without them. But also those drugs were detrimental -- I was living a miserable life with them!”

The more distance I get from what I will term “American-style consumerism,” which is epitomized at the malls, the more I realize that American-style consumerism is both unnecessary and detrimental. I went into the 100 Thing Challenge thinking that would be the case. 6 months into the 100 Thing Challenge, I feel confident that definitely is the case. American-style consumerism makes selfish prideful fools of us.

I don’t see any other way around it. If we are to mature as people, we must put distance between ourselves and American-style consumerism.

Comments

[ada]

You are exactly right about the mall being the epitome of American consumerism. I recently read a book that you might like. It's called "Consumed" and looks at the psychology of market. http://www.amazon.com/Consumed/dp/B00125OKRQ/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242733600&sr=8-6

[Leanne]

I totally agree with you, honey. But if we hadn't gone to the mall, we would have missed that marvel to behold: the man walking his huge, black potbelly pig on a leash. Come on, that was worth it!!