Sunday, October 27, 2013

Wasting brainpower and money

I got a catalog in the mail from Hammacher Schlemmer.  It makes me mad that people waste brainpower investing these things, and waste money buying these things.  Things like:

$29.95 remote controlled tarantula
$379.95 twenty foot tall inflatable cat
$49.95 shower curtain with built-in speakers and pocket for iPad
$3,000 acoustic immersion pod
$58,000 golf cart hovercraft

We should be spending our brainpower and money on figuring how we can create a world where no one goes hungry, where everyone is treated with respect and kindness, and where we use the earth's resources in a way such that the earth will be able to sustain humans and other life for many millenia.

Why do people think it's a good idea to invent, buy, and sell such things? Is it that people whose emotional and material needs were not met when they were growing up think that this stuff is the way to fill the emptiness?  Is it that people who grew up in privilege can't see how many needs are unfulfilled, so they waste time on junk instead of on stuff that is really needed? How can we raise children with the knowledge, wisdom, and compassion to set better priorities?  Many people do. There is still more to be done.

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