perceived obsolescence

If you haven't seen The Story of Stuff yet, I suggest you click on over and remedy that straight away. This isn't anything you don't know, but it's handy for passing along to those who don't think about these things already, and a good reminder for the rest of us. I'd like to think we can make a difference, and sometimes I feel very excited about the potential for change and betterment. And sometimes, I want to crawl under my bed and close my eyes and curl into a ball and wait for the world to implode. Both reactions are sparked by Mad, though. A lot of big, righteous MAD that our whole screwed up modern lifestyle amounts to a clever orchestration to keep rich people rich and happy. I wonder if they built an escape pod and a secret planet getaway into the plan, though, because all the money in the world won't be worth so much when our earth is a pit of toxic waste. (hmm. . . I guess I'm not disguising my state of mind so well, tonight, am I? my glass is half empty and I need to do something about that. like open another and fill it up, yeah.)