The I want/I need syndrome

For the umpteenth time in my life, I find myself disappointed..........with myself. In light of the less than favorable economy and with the constant fear of possibly losing what I thought was a secure government job, I reflect on my life and the "things" I think I have needed or wanted in my life.

I sit and watch the youth of this generation with their DS's, Playstations, iPods, TV's, cell phones, etc and I sit in awe of how much these things are "needed". I am almost in disgust until I realize, I too believe I "need" these things. The cell phones, the TV, the DVR's, cable, the computer, the HD service, the mighty putty, the oxyclean, you name it. I have fallen into that trap of believing I "need" all of this. Thanks to the wonderful world of media and marketing, we are made to believe that our lives will be easier, more fulfilling if we have these things. God bless Billy Mays, but he could be selling a five pound bag of crap and by the end of his pitch, I am running to the phone because I know if I call within the next fifteen minutes they will cut that last monthly payment of 29.95 and in addition I will get another five pound bag of crap absolutely free. Then I buy that five pound bag of crap and realize that it is acutally........ crap. And, not only do I have a five pound bag of crap, I have two five pound bags of crap. But, at least I only paid shipping and handling for the second one. Yes, I have fallen prey to more than one infomercial.

Did I really "need" Mighty Putty? Did I really need a solution that supposedly removes scratches from my vehicle? (by the way, none of them worked) Then I look at everything else I have that I believe are necessities. Oh how pathetic I have become. I remember as a kid, there were no cell phones, no internet, no HDTV or DVR's. The TV had a turn knob with the five local channels or so. I seem to remember that we got a long just fine. We played outside more, we rode our bikes more, we actually had neighborhood friends. Life was acutally a little simpler and I dare to say, more enjoyable. (now remember, as I write this, I am behind my computer, alone, I told you that there would be hypocricies throughout my blog).

Sometimes I wonder, if all of those "things" I think I need were taken away from me, would I be a little happier, a little less stressed, a little more active. I would think yes. Now don't get me wrong, at this point, I would rather not test this out. This shows my my pitiful dependency for these things. But, does my obsession for these things trickle down to my children and thus, make them "need" these things also? So, when I look at todays youth in disgust, I find disgust in myself for being that bad example. So, are we to blame for a generation of degenrate youth? I think we can share some of the blame.

I think back to the time I spent in Guatemala. I think of the children that were fortunate to have gone to school. There was no internet, no recess, no lunch, no school carnivals. They went to school, learned, then went home. But, as they went home, they were smiling and laughing. I didn't see them playing with video games, iPods, laptops. In fact, I would more often than not, see them playing with a one dollar plastic soccer ball, in the street, in the field, wherever they could. And, again, they were smiling and laughing. Could it be? Could it be that they did not need, or most likely didn't have the means to, acquire these things that children in the U.S. "need"? Could it be that they could still find happiness in their friends and enjoy and relish in that bond of friendship and not have their nose smashed in some electronic?

I'm not saying I want to take all electronics from children. But, I would like to see them, and us, become a little less dependant on these things and enjoy our families and friends more. Actually talk to people rather than yell at a TV because your video game cheated. And, sorry to break it to you, but as soon as you buy that 4th generation iPod, they already have the 5th generation made and they are just waiting to release it because they know you will "need" the newer version.

I would like to take my family to some small tropical place and rent a small one bedroom or studio (something small and cheap) for a month with no phone, tv, computer, not one electronic. (I know that tropical doesn't sound too humble, but come on, baby steps) And I would like to see how long it would take before they start missing those "necessities". After some time, hiking, swimming, actually cooking food, no take out, no microwaves.....( Who wouldn't love a fish fry on the beach? ), talking over dinner, enjoying life and each other, I am willing to bet that those "necessities" would end up taking a back seat. Then maybe we would ween ourselves from that "bottle".

So, in closing this drawn out entry, let's take a vacation, a vacation from those things that we feel will make our lives easier and supposedly more enjoyable. Those things we get so involved with and block out the outside world and all the beauties it has to offer. ( I will one day get my entire family scuba certified, can't bring cell phones and video games underwater ha ha ha)

Until next time my friends......"We are the music makers, We are the dreamers of dreams."

What You Will Not Find

What you will not find in my blog. You will not find picutres of me, my family, (I have a wonderful family and I'll leave it at that) my possesions, (not that I have a lot), stories of wonderful vacations, the bragging and "Look at me, Look at me" I find in so many blogs. For those of you who do, that's wonderful. For those of you who post pictures of your cars, home, boats, quads, I applaud you for having "stuff". You will not find pictures or stories on my drunken nights out and the shennanigans as a result thereof(not sayin that posting pics of you having a good time is bad, but do you really have to post pictures of yourself passed out unconscious with that galzed look in your eyes like you are two seconds away from going into a coma), but for those of you that do, I truly feel sorry for you. And no, they are not laughing with you........yes, they are in fact laughing at you. Wait, I lied, I take that back. I do not feel sorry for you, I too laugh at you. Then I tell all of my friends about you, and they too laugh at you. Then, they tell their friends, and their friends laugh at you. Until.......your friends tell you the story about the idiot everybody is laughing at, which is actually you. So in the end, even your friends will eventually laugh at you. So anyways, remember what I said about ramblings?

What you will find in my blog are my feelings and thoughts. You will find what irritates me about this world, and what I truly love about this world. (the same thing that might irritate me, I might love two weeks later) I will be cynical, I will be hopeful. I will be grateful, I will be thankless. I will be selfish, I will be unselfish. I will be rude, I will be polite. This is my blog, and I will make of it what I want. But, what you will never find in this blog, and what I never will become, is untrue to who I am!

And I know you are wondering, "Ok, what are your thoughts and feelings? What does irritate you?" And I can only answer, "In due time my friend, in due time."

Intro

Yes, I have succumbed to the world of blogging. Have I conformed, have I jumped on the bandwagon like the rest of this God forsaken world? You can be the judge of that. I only aim to express thoughts, ideas, "locuras" of my mind. I do make this discalimer now, you will undoubtedly find hypocrisies written throughout my blog. And, for those of you who are quick to call "B.S." on me, I will be the first to do it, so relax and just read. You will undoubtedly find ramblings, run-ons, constant topic changing. I might talk about several different topics and eventually get back to my original thought, or might drift so far off I might not even get back to it or I forgot what my original thought even was. Some of you will undoubtedly get offended or not agree with any of my thoughts. For this I will plagiarize from our founding fathers, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free excecise therof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." So, as much as I have the freedom to express what I choose, you have the freedom to backspace, X out, delete, and not return to this blog. Or, if you so choose and you have the time to waste, you have that right to peaceably assemble outside of my home and petition me for a redress of grievances. And with that, I end this intro with a quote from Gene Wilder, who many of you might know as Willy Wonka, "Welcome, its nice to have you here. I'm so glad you could come. This is going to be such an exciting day. I hope you enjoy it. I think you will."