I was browsing the papers today and came across this article

'The perils of the American dream'.

The author did a brilliant job in driving the point home that we are simply too materialistic and becoming entrapped to slavery due to our uncontrollable LUST basically for anything under the sun which has been marketed cleverly!

I'm talking for me here. I still have to go through mental wars, debating whether I need a blackberry or not, when my nokia seems to be able to handle the job of pushing emails perfectly well.

The debate whether I need another vehicle or not, when my faithful 17 year old Mercedes seems to be doing the job more than splendid.

The debate whether I need to get 'American Standard' or 'Johnson Suisse' branded sanitare fittings for the upcoming bathroom renovation trigerred by a leak. Actually I can get away with just fixing the leak/waterproofing and end up spending a fraction of what I'm gonna end up spending, but that's what happens when marketeers are really good. They'll convince you that you really need something your dont.

The debate whether I need to replace my front gate with Balinese type wooden ones, the debate whether I need to replace my alarm system with wireless ones, etc.,etc..

I suppose that's the challenge all of us will go through living in this highly 'wired' society. We will be constantly bombarded with ads which sell us what we don't really need. And the answer to survive this would be to have saving goals and constant debates with one-self. (BEWARE: Dont you dare debate with your spouse BEFORE debating it with yourselves first)

I pray that I continue to have these debates AND sticking to making decisions ONLY after having fulfilled my saving goals. So any spending will be more like a reward whenever a goal has been accomplished.

Wishing you a strong mind and self-constraint. :)