To consume or not to consume

We started watching Zeitgeist: Moving Forward last night.  (Anything we watch that lasts longer than an hour will inevitably become a "two-part" series in our home.  So we didn't actually finish it yet.  haha)  This documentary came out at the beginning of 2011 and follows it's first film, Zeitgeist (2007).  (disclaimer:  The first one makes some good points on the topic of religion, but the historical "facts" about Jesus are actually quite inaccurate, as I came to find out in my research.)

Anyway...back to my original thought...

This movie we're in the process of watching is SO interesting!  And, I mean, you have to take everything with a grain of salt and use wisdom and do your own research.  But in the second part, they discuss how an eco-friendly world cannot really survive in our current economy.  It's just not profitable enough.  Our economy actually needs and thrives on waste in order to maintain it's status as a "healthy" economy.   Gross, huh?

There is so much more to it than this, but it got me thinking...

Have I been lured into the consumer mentality and addiction that is so normal in our society?  I'm sure I have.  So have you.  That's why we live the way we live and waste as much as we do.  That's why so many of us are unsatisfied and can never have enough, or we always have to have the latest model and best of everything the minute it becomes available.  Just think about it.  I know this is a touchy subject, but just think.

My children have more toys than they know what to do with.  There is no possible way they can play with all of them and get the most out of them in even a year.  By constantly bombarding them with the latest "thing", am I setting them up to be ungrateful wasters?

I just think about all the stuff I buy that I really don't need, or that I probably could do without.  And for that matter, how much stuff do I have in my house that I could be using but it's just sitting there?  And then, if you're like me, you are getting rid of stuff every few months and where does it go?  It has to go somewhere.  So maybe I send it to goodwill and someone uses it for awhile, but after that, where does it go?  There is just so much waste, and there doesn't need to be.

And all this consuming is not making people happier nor more satisfied with life.

I hope this post isn't too depressing...I know there are many things we can do as individuals to help things get better, so it's not a hopeless situation.  We just need to take responsibility for how we live this life.  I know, for me personally, I need to focus less on what I think I need, and focus more on how I can build up the people around me.

It also makes me very aware that I don't need to buy into (pardon the pun) the "buying-more-stuff" hype that goes with Christmas, or any other holiday, for that matter.  This is why I try to make alot of the gifts I give, (or if I'm going to buy, then buy handmade or at least local), or give a skill (babysitting, photography, etc.), or make a memory that doesn't cost anything.  I know this is small, but small counts.

What do you think about this?  I welcome any and all comments.  :)

On a lighter note...
Here is a photo I took 2 weeks ago in my 12th week of pregnancy.  (That little bump you see is probably more a result of my lazy muscles and a big supper.  hahaha)  My tummy looks the same today.  :)