Black Friday 2011 was a beautiful day at my house. I chose to stay in the domicile and out of Wal-Mart this year and avoid spending a single dollar. Around 9 AM, I slipped out of bed, sipped some coffee, read a few articles, and wrote a little bit. You know what I found? The sky did not fall. A toilet did not swallow my life simply because I chose to keep money in my pocket and buy a bunch of stuff that would be collecting dust in a month or a year.
Apparently, I also made a choice that was in the best interest of my personal bodily safety. By staying in, I did not get pepper sprayed by a lady who wanted a flat-screen TV. I was not body slammed by a police officer accusing me of shoplifting. And I was not shot outside in the parking lot.
A pretty good day for me, on the whole.
I actually failed in one respect though. I did spend some money. But it was for the good cause of family time, taking my wife and children to the movies. So instead of stuff, I bought some memories and good will (by the way, the Muppets still put on a good show...). Is that better than buying them all a Chia Pet?
Watching all the news clips yesterday evening, I pondered the situation we find ourselves trapped in during the modern era of America. Are we sick?
I do not mean "having a rough time" or "needing a healthier economy." I mean, do we have a disease in the way we live our lives that is not only eventually fatal, but is spreading quickly?
Let's look at the symptoms that are flaring up:
On the VERY NEXT day after a national time of THANKSGIVING, you know, for things like health, family, food, and shelter, we have a cultural ritual in which we are strongly encouraged to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on gadgets we do not need. On stuff that has nothing to do with what we were thankful for on the previous day. Irony? Hypocrisy? Reality...
Under the guise of buying this "stuff" as gifts to show love and good will to all mankind, we are willing to scratch, claw, and pepper spray our way to the front of the line and beat the crowd. Irony? Hypocrisy? Again...reality.
The Xboxes, Tv's, iPods, and tablets we are taking home are bought with borrowed money that we do not have in the bank.
Our retail industry is dependent on this shopping season. Without it, they would close their doors, skip town, and take our jobs with them.
So let me get this straight...I buy things because I am supposed to because...well...it's Black Friday, and the TV I bought last year says I need to get up at 12 AM and spend all night shopping. And I need to get my newer TV now and first before these other suckers, err, neighbors, get their hands on it. Or I'll put chemicals in their eyes. But I don't have enough money to buy all these things, so I have to borrow it. So I need to pay it back, so I guess I will need to work in a job all day...not just to provide food and board for me and mine...but also to pay my credit card bills. That get a little bigger each year.
And to cap it all off, I will only have this job as long as everyone continues this insanity and does it again next year the day after Thanksgiving?
Are we sick?
This is a question that may be answered only by comparison to an earlier state of affairs. Were we ever healthy? What would healthy look like? And what will have to be cut, chemo-ed, radiated, or killed for us to be healthy again? Will the cure be worse than the cancer?
Benji Battle lives and works as an educator, manager, and writer in Atlanta, GA, where he and his wife work daily to make a wiser, brighter home for their three children. Benji encourages people to ask more questions in life in order to achieve their goals and dreams. His blog "Think to Ask?" celebrates these questions at http://www.benjibattle.com
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Economics Article FeedFind More ArticlesSearchRecent ArticlesHow To Solve The Homeless SituationProgressivism Isn't Progress, VIIIHow Secure Is Your "Secure" Job?A True Comparison Of Increasing Debt Between Bush And Obama AdministrationsHow To Compete With ChinaWould Einstein Think Us Insane?What Will Happen If Greece Defaults?A Cluster of (Minor) ErrorsThe US Recovery Is Producing SurprisesA Sigh Of Relief For The Economic Status Of The USSubmitted On November 26, 2011. Viewed 7 times. Word count: 667.MLA Style Citation:Battle, Benji".".26 Nov. 2011EzineArticles.com.26 Jan. 2012
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