We made the trip from Portland down to Consumervil…I mean Roseville on Friday. Let’s say that a normal ten-hour drive is made a bit longer with an eleven-month old baby…twelve hours after leaving my parent’s place, we arrived at Christine’s.
One piece of cool news…my guitar was on the doorstep awaiting my arrival and plays like a dream after my friend Richard had a luthier set it up for me. Which leads me to my next thoughts…
I had to go out and find some things for my guitar and while I was out I was struck by something. This ’something’ is what I believe is lurking behind most of the problems in American culture. This ’something’ has taken over Roseville/Rocklin. This something is consumerism…
As I drove to a place that used to be an empty field my eyes now saw only fields of strip malls. When we were here a year ago I was shocked to see how many more shops there were than the year before, but now there are only more. Seriously, is this all there is to culture? I just have to wonder…How much money does this community have to spend on things? How much spending does a community have to do to warrant more and more shops being opened in this community?
I think the reason I am so sensitive to this is because I struggle with greed and over-consumption. But seeing something like this here makes me sad…it’s no wonder that the US uses 25% of the worlds’ resources while only making up 6% of the population. Our consumerism is only tempted in environments where consumption is nearly the only form of entertainment.
My big question is this: How can the Christian community here, which is a high percentage compared to most places, be counter-cultural and reject this form of idolatry? How can we prove that materialism is not the god of suburbia?
But…these are questions that I’m asking of myself too…because I am a captain on team consumerism.
come on man, they’re not spending MONEY here…its all credit. So that should put you at ease…
no??
good one pc…sad but mostly true