Wii Crazy

While ellipticizing my butt and thighs at the gym the other day I was again astounded by the Wii craze. There it was on the news, lines of sheep (ahem)people lined up for the Wii. Yes, the Wii is BIG FUN. I personally would love to own one. But do I want to sit outside in the freezing cold outside a big box store for over 24hours to obtain one? That would be a no. I prefer to wait. Which means I'll probably never buy one.

It hit me then that those lines are such a distraction. People get so wrapped up in the media-induced frenzy of Black Friday and getting 'the gift' of the season for kids and adults EVERY YEAR that the message of the season really does get lost. How can you think of goodwill towards men when you are jockeying in line for hours on end while catching your death? What comes of it? Nothing. You play with the new toy for a while, then next year like everyone else in the rat race, you find yourself in line again. There you are waiting for a golden ticket to hopefully get you inside the warm store and purchase that ultimate gift. Why?

Then, I saw this video and it cemented all my feelings of our holiday consumption and our every day consumption. I am guilty of getting lost in the "what did you get me?!" too. I admit it. I love getting gifts and I want them to be the most thoughtful gift ever, each time. I shop 'til I drop for presents too. I shop for no reason. I can be a greedy little whore of a consumer. I've been in DA (Debtors Anonymous) and it nearly ruined my life and marriage at one point. When Oprah had her show on shopaholics I answered yes to 9 out of 10 questions. Instead of putting down the bottle I had to put down the cards. Every one has their vice and mine was shopping. I realize now the error of my ways. I saw first hand how it can destroy relationships just like any other addiction.

Here is the thing. This country? Is addicted to consuming. We jump like lemmings over a cliff to get a new product. We are in fact consumed. I'm not trying to rain on your holiday parade or anything. I'm just trying to make a point. We only keep 1% of what we buy. 1 freakn' tiny percent. Stuff is made to be useless. We complain about the quality of products not being what they should, but hm... are they not designed for us to discard them right quick? Is that what is happening? So while it might be late in the game this year it isn't for 2008. My resolution for the new year is not just going to be fighting the urge to smoke but also to just consume less. To buy less. Save more. Anyone else want to join me? Anyone else want to get off the roller coaster of consuming just for the sake of consuming?

I've been SBUX sober for over two months now and while the shakes and urges can be pretty damn strong it's just one less thing I'm consuming.