Erin and all MOQers:
Erin included this little gem as a post script...
R. BREZNY
Calculated annually, the Gross National Product (GNP) is the standard by
which
countries gauge their prosperity. In an age when all other values are
subservient to the obsession with material wealth, the GNP is in essence a
measure of the current worth of the Holy Grail. In recent years the small
Buddhist nation of Bhutan has rebelled against this vulgarity, however,
proposing a different accounting system: Gross National Happiness. While it
takes into consideration economic development, it also includes factors like
the preservation of the environment, enrichment of the culture, and quality
of
governance. I suggest you draw your inspiration from the Bhutanese in the
coming week and estimate your own Gross Personal Happiness. It's a perfect
time to evaluate and increase your levels of joy.
DMB says...
I saw a brilliant illustration of this years ago in a magazine and never
forgot it. It showed several families standing in front of their home with
all their possessions. Each family was from a different nation/culture.
Naturally, the American family had tons of stuff. The Bhutanese family had
little more than a few cups and bowls, but they looked much happier. The
interesting thing is, I think, that their non-materialistic values aren't
really so different from our own. It just that we've pretty much abandoned
such notions. Can you imagine TV advertisments emploring us NOT to buy, buy,
buy? That would be like some kind of heresy. Who was it that said, "it is
easier for a camel to slip through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich
man to enter the kindgom of heaven."? I suspect you can find some version of
this assertion in every culture, certainly in every religion. If one doen't
take it too literally, its still true.
No, I'm not suggesting you give away your things and join a church. Well,
you can if you like, but I'm just saying that the "idea" is very old and
persistent and suspect there is something to it. Care to speculate anyone?
Let me get personal. Lately, an old friend has been sending me pictures of
himself at the Playboy mansion. He paid some obscene amount of cash to fly
across the country to drink booze, golf and hang out with bunnies. I haven't
replied because I can't make any honest comments without making him very,
very angry. The whole thing seems like such a self-indulgent waste of time
and money. It also strikes me as pathetic. The bunnies are half his age and
wouldn't give him the time of day if not for the cash he spent. Turns my
stomach. To think of all the things a person can do with money and then see
that as his choice. I lost lots of respect for the man. What can I say to
the guy next time we talk? Anyone like to suggest an appropriate comment or
two?
DMB
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