February 09, 2016

Goal: GET not BE

Our culture instills the urge, the goal, the need to GET stuff. Any stuff, just a lot of it. Got your $489 smart phone last year....dump it, because this year's phone is sooooo much better, oh, and a bunch of the really cool apps are only available for the upgraded phone....same game they played with computers and tablets and Ipads.
Courtesy of Science Blogs.com

Dump that two year old car, get this new one. It has heated seats and it can save your kids' lives while they are texting with it's new something-too-close detection system.

We have the message to consume shoved down our throats from the minute you are big enough to sit and watch Nick Jr or Disney Jr. Be the first, get this, BOGO, SALE, SALE, "Because you're worth it," "Betch' can't eat just one," "There are some things money can't buy. For everything else, there's MasterCard."

With half the world watching Superbowl for it's super duper commercials as well as big men knocking other big men down, we have the Rocket Mortgage message. Get this App and get your mortgage online and when you get a house, get, get, get. Lamps, sofas, get, get, get and then get some more!

Our message to the kids, young adults and those that don't know better is to Get the most you can because your stuff defines you.

What happened to the message, "Be all that you can be?" Not army style, but personal style? What  about character, about personal values?

What really counts? Those two pairs of shoes for the price of one or trustworthiness? Courage, Fairness, Loyalty, Respect, Compassion, Accountability, Responsibility, Self-Control, Self-Discipline?

What do you look for in a friend or a mate? Was it his car with warm seats or his work ethic?  Was it her closet full of shoes and uber fantastic laptop or that you could really count on her to try to understand?

Do you want your friend to have one of "those" addresses or one of "those" hearts?

13 comments:

  1. Enjoyed this thank you so much

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  2. I met my spouse in a newspaper personal ad. he mentioned he liked monty python and had a masters degree. that was it. NO ONE needs too much crap in their life. I could live quite comfortably in one of those tiny houses.

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    1. Frank and I are studying tiny houses! We want to stop shuffling and dusting 'stuff'!

      Did your spouse mention what the Master's was in or do the Monty Python hook you?

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    2. the monty python was the hook. he has a masters in mass communications.

      I don't dust and I despise housework; I'd rather knit or read!

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    3. When I said to Frank, "Let's not bicker about who killed who." and he held his cupped hands in front of his chest and talked about 'large tracts of land', I knew we were made for each other!

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  3. Yes, we all have too much crap and some people must rent storage facilities because their crap runeth over.

    I do like my heated seats, though.

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    1. Sadly, neither of our cars has heated seats. When I ride in any of several friend's cars with a warmed tush, I have to admit, I feel like a cat in a sunny window. Thankfully, I just enjoy and don't lick my paws!

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  4. First, thank you for stopping by my blog! I like this post so much, it's so true! I look for good hearts and always have. :) I love thrifting and love that items are being recycled. I'm very sentimental and keep every note and drawings etc from my son's childhood...those are the items I like to frame and put on my wall along with photos that take me back to that moment.
    We do have heated seats. lol They're heated in our 2005 suv, that's paid for and not new and not going to be thrown away. :)
    enjoy your day!
    Marie

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    1. I do envy those heated seats! I'm pretty sentimental, too, though I am finding myself able to let go of things little by little. I really want to down size to a little cottage and 20 favorite books (or 40 or 120 or 560).

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  5. You're 100% right!!!! I went to Target yesterday to get my baby girl some chocolates from Target. I walked out of the store looking like it was Christmas time. My husband gave me a very similar lecture after that saying that stuff isn't what all of these holidays are about.

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    1. It's like going in to Costco to save $12 on dog food and having to pay a $200 ransom to leave the store!

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  6. Thank goodness my husband and I are not materialistic. We don't chase fashion, follow trends or own any of the latest gizmos and gadgets. Our car is even 13 years old! And we enjoy the company of earthy people. No snobs or big egos for this couple! I'm a minimalist, so having too much crap makes me nuts. This year we'll be downsizing to a much smaller home and I can't tell you how excited I am about getting rid of half of our stuff if not more :)

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