It has only recently become clear to me just how big a problem my shopping habit was. I think I must be have been really stupid, slow, or crazy ......because I didn't get it..... until just 7 years ago. (In spite of the fact that I have complained about the damage to the environment for 20 + years.) It suddenly dawned on me! .........I am the problem! .............My children are the problem! My nation is the problem! We are the cause and effects of global warming. We are the root of all evil, because we have bought into ( excuse the pun) American consumerism. 1 + 1 = 2............... Me + shopping = damage to the environment. I really didn't get it. Then I started to wonder about why all the protests weren't working. Why we couldn't get the corporations to stop cutting trees, or burning oil, of fighting wars? Why were seals still being hunted even when people had stopped using the furs? Guess what woke me up? Rather, guess who woke me up?????? It was your friend and mine (joke intended) George W. Bush! When the nation was in shock after the attack on 9/11/01 Mr. Bush said the most profound thing. He said, if we were to show the world that we are not afraid....we should go shopping. ........His quote...."I ask your continued participation and confidence in the American economy. ( Go Shopping) Terrorists attacked a symbol of American prosperity. They did not touch its source. America is successful because of the hard work, and creativity, and enterprise of our people. These were the true strengths of our economy before September 11th, and they are our strengths today." In 2006 strangely enough, President Bush held a news conference where he discussed the “way forward” for the economy in 2007. Renowned Morgan Stanley economist Steven Roach had said the the “odds of the U.S. economy tipping into recession are about 40 to 45 per cent.” New York Times columnist Paul Krugman noted that “the odds are very good — maybe 2 to 1,” that the U.S. will teeter toward a recession in 2007. Bush’s response? He said, "As we work with Congress in the coming year to chart a new course in Iraq and strengthen our military to meet the challenges of the 21st century, we must also work together to achieve important goals for the American people here at home. This work begins with keeping our economy growing. … And I encourage you all to go shopping more. " He has set the example for us all, plunging the nation into trillions of dollars of debt! (Never let a budget get in the way of your shopping!) On a personal level for me, that might translate into buying a house on credit, buy a car on credit, buy clothes I don't need on credit, buy furniture on credit, and if I want to see a movie or go out to dinner pay for it with a credit card. Because if I only buy what I can afford....then I would not be consuming enough plastic, or oil, or gas, or electricity, or food, or clothes to keep the corporations ( and President Bush) profitable. So now that I realize I am the source of the problem, and now that I have stopped buying on credit, using plastic bags, consuming products that have been shipped from around the world I have gained all that time that I would have spent on shopping, to begin to think about the future. This is the question? What is next? Now that Americans are pretty much maxed out on credit and consumer levels, we are in a full recession and our population, is shrinking, the corporations are seeking to extend this consumer mentality overseas. To the vast populations of India and China. Now here comes the moral question.......Since I have lived a lavish lifestyle and destroyed 75% of the earth's resources.... is it fair to deny the vast populations in the developing nations the excesses I have enjoyed? It is not a matter of fair. It is a matter of resources. This planet cannot support that kind of consumerism by another 2,000,000,000 people. Although I think it is very important to clean up the beaches, and save the whales, and recycle, and reuse, I have come to see that this is not going to really save the earth. Because, in fact, the real problem, the underlying factor for all that trash and waste and destruction, is actually growing and out of control like a runaway train on a downhill track, picking up speed and roaring ahead with ever increasing force. Something like the tsunami in The Indian Ocean or Hurricane Katrina, and when it reaches a certain level ( are we there yet?) it will not be stoppable. Consumerism is in self propelled motion. I urge everyone to continue to recyle and save the whales......protect that which is near and dear to your heart...but you must join in the effort to stop the spread of consumerism before it is unstoppable. Please be sure to watch the videos on Youtube.com The Story of Stuff and the four part series on Consumerism. ( If you have already seen them watch them again)..Then find ways to get the word out! As always, education is key to the solution for any social problem. We must be aware that; to truly stop environmental destruction people must learn to live in the world of satisfaction.... We need to be satisfied and content with the basics of food and shelter, with shoes made locally from natural products not plastic ones shipped from 6000 miles away that are designed to fall apart in 6 months. We need to be satisfied with fresh local fruits and vegetables that are in season (instead of the canned or frozen fruits shipped from China or Chile). We need to be satisfied with jobs that are 3 blocks not 30 miles away, with products that are not designed to be trash (plastic cups or pens that cannot be refilled with ink). We need to be satisfied with public trasportation, and clothing that are more than 3 months old. We need to be satisfied with paying for quality products that are designed to last for 100 years, rather than buying 20 products that will only last for 5. Then we can take the time we have spent chasing "stuff" to; sit on a porch, visit with neighbors, write an email, climb a mountain, lay on our backs in the grass and watch the clouds pass overhead, feel a breeze on our faces. We can watch our children grow up instead of farming them out to child care and babysitters while we work at jobs we hate. We can cook a meal using fresh local produce and share the meal together at home, or look into our lover's eyes . Then we can take the money we would have spent on all the other junk and save it, so that we live with less financial stress, and find the real joy that we have searched for in all that consumerism. The result will be not only a cleaner earth, but a healthier and happier life for us all. Oh yeah......wait a minute..what about the corporations? The corporations? Can we live without them? Can our lives be meaningful without Nike, The New York Stock Exchange, Mc Donald's, Nordstrom's or Mercedes Benz? Is it going to destroy our childrens lives if they never get to choose from 50 kinds of cereal all made by the same company with basically the same ingredients? Will it cause us great suffering if we don't have to breathe their pollution or watch their mindless advertising? No I think we will do just fine. I think you will do just fine with those things that are most important...your friends, family, community, and a world that can survive for the future generations with blue skies, clean water and balanced eco-systems.