Today's Ramble - 11/30/06

As I was participating in a voluntary simplicity discussion yesterday, it occurred to me that our country (and the world for that matter) wastes an incomprehensible amount of brain power (intellectual/creative resources) on consuming things. Just think about all of those well-educated lawyers agonizing over which luxury car to buy. Think of the architect and his wife shopping for just the perfect refrigerator for their beach house. How about the human resources director surfing the internet and pouring over catalogs looking for the perfect new wardrobe? I don't have the statistics about shopping at my fingertips, but I know that people spend large amounts of time searching for, looking at, analyzing, and dreaming about things that they would like to own. If this time were spent more productively, how much better would our society be?

Today's Wisdom - 11/29/06

If you can truly and deeply reflect on your life as the following quote from Dr. Seuss directs, you will be a happy person.

"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."

Today's Ramble - 11/28/06

I heard a couple of interesting stories on NPR this morning on my way to work. The first dealt with carbon credits. It turns out that carbon credit purchasing is exploding at the retail level. People buy these credits to pay for programs that reduce carbon emissions in direct proportion to the amount of pollution their household produces annually. The idea is brilliant. Unfortunately, it is not working well in practice. An expert in England likened the purchasing of carbon credits to a confessional in church. Individuals relieve their guilt about polluting the environment by buying their way out of it. It turns out that very few of them actually do anything about really trying to reduce their footprints on the Earth.

The second story was about how bad traffic has become in Russia. There are three times as many cars on the roads there as during communist rule. People are spending large portions of their incomes for cars, and just sitting in traffic for hours a day. Citizens of Moscow reported much higher levels of stress and anger about getting around the city. It turns out that the fall of the iron curtain and the resultant explosion of free enterprise is having a disruptive influence on these newly "free" citizens.

Today's Ramble - 11/27/06

Tis' the season. Seasonal gift giving contributes significantly to over-consumption, and the psychological damage that can occur as a result. I am a proponent of giving. However, things have really gotten out of control. Juliet Schor's research points out that often times gift giving between spouses ends up (over the years) becoming a way to justify buying expensive gifts for ourselves. Isn't it common for couples to pre-plan their gift giving? I'll get you the iPod, you can get me the watch. I will buy you the diamond earrings, you can buy me the alloy wheels for my car. This is consumptive self-gratification disguised as gift giving.

The same thing occurs when gifts are exchanged between other family members and friends. It can end up being a game of oneupmanship. Of course, the same is true for weddings, baby showers, birthdays, etc. The heavily advertised gift giving season has become almost the antithesis of what gift giving is all about. It is about thoughtfulness and caring. It is a way to show you care about someone, and are thinking about them. When the giving of a gift becomes culturally mandatory, it loses its value as a token of human connection. This is particularly true when the item being offered comes from a lengthy list. For those that cannot compete in this expensive ritual because of limited financial resources, a feeling of inadequacy results. Often times these folks develop very negative feelings about the holiday season. Combined with over-consumption, holiday gift giving is no longer goodwill to all men.

Today's Ramble - 11/26/06

I have had a few days off of work. It has given me a chance to recharge my batteries. It has also given me a chance to feel grateful for all that my life is. Finally, it has given me the chance to read the newspaper cover to cover every day. Here is a summary of a "world gone mad".

1) 400 people waited in line at Walmart at 5:00 am to get the best deal on plastic toys from China.
2) A car buying survey finds that people factor in location and quantity of cup holders in their car-buying decision before considering fuel efficiency.
3) A personal finance columnist, responding to someone with poor credit asking about how to improve it, suggests taking out a high interest loan auto loan to improve her credit score.
4) A new Volvo has a heartbeat detector that informs owners through the key fob that someone is hiding in the backseat (no, I did not make this up).
5) LL Bean will send out 200,000,000 catalogs this year (how many trees is that?).
6) China will add 50 new coal-fired power plants this year (so they can produce all of the crap we buy at Walmart).

And, that's just all that I can remember.

Today's Ramble - 11/22/06

Two of the most interesting hot research areas in psychology are choice and energy. Much research has shown that too many choices in life can create considerable stress. Stress leads to poor health, unhappiness, and so on. Last evening, I participated in an audio discussion with participants in the Positive Psychology program at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Martin Seligman, the founder of Positive Psychology mentioned that he is very excited about some new research being done that links too many choices to a decrease in energy. This research has also shown a decrease in IQ related to an overwhelming number of choices. This evidence directly supports the idea that consumerism is having a negative impact on our well being. The consumerist world has created even more choices for people, which on the surface, seems like a good thing. It is turning out to not be such a good thing. Not only is a consumerist foray a large user of valuable time, but it turns out to be relieving its practitioners of life energy and intellect. Think about this the next time you go searching for the perfect couch for your living room.

Today's Ramble - 11/21/06

Until we can teach monkeys to read, we are all humans. We contain a complete mix of all of the emotions, both good and bad. Through the identification with and practice of these emotions, we develop a self. This self is experienced and criticized internally and externally (by others). This self identity develops and changes over time. We build character.

Happiness is a very convenient and effective guide for building character. If we get too far from a general feeling of happiness, we can be safe in assuming that something has gone sideways with our self, our character. A perfect example of this is the unsettled and unfulfilling feeling that many of us have after a prolonged focus on consumption and materialism. The greed and sefishness required for us to be "good" consumers leaves us feeling unwhole. A simple steering away from greed and hedonism will lead to a stronger sense of happiness. When this happens, we can be rest assured that we are building good character for ourselves. And, we are setting a good example for those who we affect in our every day living.

Today's Ramble - 11/20/06

For today's Ramble, I am borrowing an idea from Peter Block (www.peterblock.com). People (and teams of people) often settle on the question of "how?" when working toward a solution. Block argues that "how?" looks for answers outside of us. Focusing on the "how?" is an indirect expression of our doubts. It is a defense against taking action. How many times have you experienced this? It is often times the most experienced people who do this the most (particulaly in a work environment). They know "how?" (or can figure it out fairly easily). Usually what is missing is a lack of commitment to the "what?" or the "why?"

Think about it in the context of your personal life. What are the things in your life that are the most important to you? What defines you? Why to you feel that these things define you? These are questions that have become more and more difficult for many people to answer. I believe that our society's focus on consumption, and the myriad of choices related to the aquisition of goods and services, has taken our attention away from answering the truly important questions in life. We get good at the "how?". So, we apply our "how?" skills to more fundamental questions. We are finding the answers to these questions harder and harder to come by. Peter Block suggests deliberately doing the following:

1) Ask what will it take for me to claim my own freedom and create the experience of my OWN choosing (not the choice between which big screen TV is better).

2) Ask when will I choose to use my talents in service to self and others rather than to hold back and settle.

3) Ask when I finally choose adventure and accept the fact that there is no safe path.

Today's Ramble - 11/9/06

Today's Ramble has to do with the concept of desire. Consumer culture has helped most Americans develop a very strong desire muscle. The constant barrage of advertisements is designed to build this muscle to such as extent that it is impossible to avoid the impulse of buying. In fact, most people's desire muscle is much stronger than their will power muscle. Just take a look at the numbers associated with consumer credit and debt.

A recent study on inner desire has shown that 61% of respondents always have something in mind that they look forward to buying. The "wish lists" contained an average of 6.3 items and were heavily dominated by material possessions. In fact, consumable items outnumbered idealized ideas three to one. For every person dreaming about better health, for example, three were dreaming about that new car. The most interesting finding in this study is that wish lists did not vary by sex, education, income, or standard of living. To use Juliet Schor's words, "consumerism is an equal opportunity ideology".

Today's Ramble - 11/7/06

First, let me STRONGLY suggest that you read Juliet Schor's "The Overspent American". This book is immensely accessible, thoroughly researched, and mind-bending in its aim. I liken it to "The Matrix" where everyone goes about their business not knowing that they are really on life-support wasting away in a pod in some giant machine.

The primary point of the book is that we, as consumers (and breathers), identify with a lifestyle "reference" group that lives well above our means. She has discovered that this perceived reference group continues to "succeed" to a greater extent than we do. She states that "the sociological trend was the upward shift in consumer aspirations and the vertical stretching out of reference groups." The result is not just a deeply-felt sense of failure, but a real perception that it takes so much more money (and stuff) to make ends meet and be happy. The reference groups commonly identified with by the average middle and upper middle class American has an income that is three, four, or five times his or her own.

The statistics supporting this reference group hypothesis are many. Here are some samples. In 1975, the "good life" meant a vacation home (19% of respondents), a swimming pool (14%), a lot of money (38%), and a happy marriage (84%). In 1991, the "good life" meant a vacation home (35%), a swimming pool (29%), a lot of money (55%), and a happy marriage (77%). I guess we traded in our happy marriage for a swimming pool.

Today's Ramble - 11/1/06

As we start yet another rainy November in the Pacific Northwest, I wanted to cite some lyrics that (for me) perfectly describe our desire to slow down life's hectic pace. These lyrics were written by Neil Peart of Rush.

I turn my back to the wind, to catch my breath, before I start off again
Driven on without a moment to spend, to pass an evening with a drink and a friend
I let my skin get too thin, I'd like to pause, no matter what I pretend
Like some pilgrim who learns to transend, learns to live as if each step was the end

Time stand still
I'm not looking back, but I want to look around me now
See more of the people and the places that surround me now

Freeze this moment a little bit longer
Make each sensation a little bit stronger
Experience slips away....

I turn my face to the sun, close my eyes, let my defenses down
All those wounds that I can't get unwound
I let my past go too fast, no time to pause, if I could slow it all down
Like some captain whose ship runs aground, I can wait until the tide comes around

Make each impression a little bit stronger
Freeze this motion a little bit longer
The innocence slips away....

Summer's going fast, nights growing colder
Children growing up, old friends growing older
Experience slips away....

Happy Halloween!

Today's commentary has to do with the trend toward using shopping malls for trick or treating. Like so much of what is bad with modern society, this practice on the surface seems so innocuous. It allows kids to stay warm and dry. It allows kids to round up tons of candy in a short amount of time. It is convenient for parents. And, most of all, it is SAFE - no pesky cars or child molesters lurking in the bushes. What comes across to many as a good idea actually is another nail in the coffin for civilized society. In effect, kids in a mall are like fish in a barrel for marketers. It allows them just another opportunity to prey on us - to convince us that what they are selling is something that we need. The traditional practice of trick or treating, which brings people living in the same neighborhood together through fun and tradition, is being replaced by a manufactured world.

By going to the mall to trick of treat, we pile in the SUV and pollute the air. By making it easy for kids to acquire a lot of candy in a small area, we promote lack of exercise and childhood obesity. By taking our kids out of the neighborhoods in which they live, we diminish the spirit of our communities. By supporting the retailers in the mall, we exacerbate the effects of consumerism and materialism on our children. When our children's children celebrate halloween, there will no longer be a choice. To trick or treat it will be necessary to hit the mall. Homeowners will no longer decorate their houses in scary attire to attract the neighborhood's little ghosts and goblins. A very sad day indeed.

Today's Ramble - 10/30/06

Today's ramble has to do with the idea that we may be living longer in terms of years. But, we are actually living less and less because we are giving up the things that really make for a good life. "If more and more of your time and attention and spirit is exhausted pursuing the things they (marketers) con you into believing you need -- bigger house, nicer car, fancier ring, higher limit credit cards, more pharmaceuticals, sleeker cell phone -- you can subtract that time from your living."

This quote (and concept) comes from columnist Brian W. Vaszily. See www.sixwise.com. I encourage you to read his column. He has a strong background in marketing, and readily admits to having been a partner-in-crime. I give consumers more credit that Brian. However, the statistics on depression he cites are astounding. I am not surprised. Happiness research has shown that attempting to keep up with the Jones' and consistently failing (as one is destined to do), results in as much unhappiness as losing a spouse or job. The marketing machine is constantly bombarding us with a lifestyle that we can never achieve. The funny thing, and the part that I think is missing from Brian's commentary, is why people truly think and feel that being rich and having the lifestyle demonstrated by savvy marketers is the answer to their dreams. Why can't (most) people see that their real happiness is right in front of them and well within their means?

Today's Ramble - 10/27/06

I had an interesting conversation last evening with someone I consider to be wise, thoughtful, and caring. We were discussing the struggles of public elementary education and the high cost of private elementary education. Someone suggested that the only way to afford private school is to finance it. This thoughtful, wise, and caring person said, "it would be crazy to take out a loan to pay for an elementary education". I stated in response, "if that's the case, it would be really crazy to take out a car loan." She said, "yeah, you're right." I am in no way smarter or wiser than she. I simply pointed out how this consumer-driven economy favors the purchase of things over the education of our children. It is now okay to take out a sizable loan to buy a car. But, it's not okay to finance a private education. Could it be because we are constantly being bombarded with advertisements for cars and we receive none for private schools? How did we let our values get so out of whack?

Today's Ramble - 10/26/06

The concept of "downshifting" has been around for a couple of decades (at least). In light of "Take Back Your Time Day" (www.timeday.org), which occurred on 10/24/06, the idea of downshifting is buzzing (slightly) yet again. Therefore, I thought it would be interesting to search google. I was astonished to find the first entry was a link to edmunds.com that deals with "downshifting" in a car. That spoke volumes to me. Our society is more focused on material objects and how they work than a practice that could lead to significant improvement in the overall human condition. There is a tremendous amount of work to be done...

..."against the run of the mill / swimming against the stream / life in two dimensions / is a mass-production scheme".

Today's Ramble - 10/25/06

Today, let's revisit the concept of "hedonic adaptation" (aka, the hedonic treadmill). The hedonic treadmill causes you to rapidly and inevitably adapt to good things by taking them for granted. As you accumulate more material possessions and accomplishments, your expectations rise. The deeds and things you worked so hard for no longer make you happy; you need to get something even better to boost your level of happiness into the upper reaches of its set range.

The good news is that, just as having the knowledge that television commercials are attempting to make you a materialistic bot allows you to avoid it, having an awareness of the impact of hedonic adaptation allows you to minimize its effects. Better yet, an awareness of it puts you in a better position to avoid wasting valuable resources (financial or otherwise) chasing after the gold ring that will not effectively increase your sense of well being.

Today's Ramble - 10/23/06

Okay, that's enough about cars (for now). Give this one some consideration. NBC News reports that 70% of lottery winners exhaust their winnings within three years. How many of us dream about what we would do if we won the lottery? How many of us say to ourselves that we would not make stupid purchases, that we would save most of the money and use it for a good cause? Of course, we are different from those 70% of winners that blow it all in three years.

I love to use lotteries as examples to make points, because they are so insidious in so many ways. It is not necessarily the lotteries themselves that are so "evil". It is the way we drool at the mouth when we consider how free and happy we will be when we win. The evil part is that lotteries compel us to focus on the things that we think will make us feel happy, not what really will make us feel happy. They play on our sense of greed, and our fear of insecurity. Of course, for us it will be different when we win. We will put the money to good use. We will quit our tedious jobs and invest in our futures. We will support our needy friends and family members. We will be masters of our money. Will we really?

Today's Ramble - 10/17/06

Today's ramble has to do with the concept of miswant (see my link to Daniel Gilbert's website for details). The concept of miswanting has to do with our proven inability to predict how we will feel after a given event. Things do not always feel the way we expect them to feel. Even worse, we are unable to predict (with any accuracy) how an event will affect us in the long run. Our general overall happiness is affected by a multitude of events. So, it is nearly impossible for us to predict what events are leading to our happiness at any given time. Granted, this concept is cynical. Regardless, much research confirms it.

My question to you is, "why would you spend $40,000 for a luxury car with the expectation that it will make you happy, knowing that your ability to predict whether or not you will be happy after you buy it is in doubt"? It is likely that the outcome of your purchase will be overcome by the multitude of events that happen to you in subsequent days. How will you ever know if the car is making you happy when your level of happiness is equally affected by other things that happen to you day after day? Is the cost worth it? Think about it.....

Today's Ramble - 10/16/06

Fortunately for my own happiness, I do not watch much TV. This weekend, I did spend some time watching a football game. One of the program sponsors was Cadillac. I was blown away by the bravado of the luxury car company's new slogan - "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit". This is clearly a reference from our country's Declaration of Independence. As well, it implies that owning a Cadillac is part of the American dream. Whether it was intentional or not, this advertising slogan is dripping with irony. The "pursuit", in this case, is not specified by an affiliation with happiness. Instead, it is left hanging. The implication is that pursuit of the American dream includes owning a Cadillac. The irony is that it is the pursuit of happiness through material means that is fleeting. The more we possess, the more that we are dissatisfied with what we possess. Owning a Cadillac will make us happy for a short time. But, in fact (Hedonic Adaptation), it will not keep us happy. We will need to buy another Cadillac soon..and another...and another...and another. A brilliant ad campaign. But, one that is completely devoid of respect for the well being of humankind.

Today's Ramble - 10/14/06

A year or so ago, I volunteered some time at the Oregon Food Bank. I took a tour of the wonderful facility, and learned from the program coordinator that a large number of the families that receive food from the food bank affiliates CHOOSE to go hungry. Yes, that's correct. They choose to pay their cable bills and car payments before buying food for their families. This point of fact dumbfounded me. How could we let our values get so far away from what used to be the obvious choice? When keeping up with the Jones' out-weighs the need to provide nutritious food to our brood, things are very very wrong. Can we afford to continue to support these kind of poor choices by doing nothing? As more and more families make these choices, our society as a whole suffers.