Part of the difficulty is spiriling inflation. Somewhere in our heads we have got it imprinted that we need more and more. The Earth is a place with finite resources, finite wealth. (True, there are controlled things like diamonds, gold, etc.) That said, we push for a quality of life that even Kings and Queens never had. Cars in every garage, phones in every house, computers in every room. Instant this and instant that. Of course, the rest of the world pays for our luxury, so why give a shit?

There is no damned way anyone can make sense of the fact that house prices where I presently live have DOUBLED in the last year and a half. Houses that people bought three years ago for $100,000 are now going for $225,000. Same house, same land, same services. Yes, I know it's supply and demand, but it still makes no sense. Banks are offering 35 year mortgages--good investment for banks because when the house 'owner' can't keep up, the bank owns a house they can sell. And people do it. More, more, more.

Much of the key to happiness is getting rid of the crap. St Basil said, "The coat hanging in your closet belongs to the poor man." Maybe he was right. And maybe it's time our society stopped living on the sweat of the reat. Our society complains when our steak is a tad underdone. Meanwhile, we can expect 2,000,000 children in this world to starve to death this year. Something is wrong with the picture.