Private Desires, Public Televsion

I had a public televion station on for noise while wrapping some holiday gifts the other day and I caught a most interesting show. Called Status Anxiety, it delved into the conundrums surrounding consumerism such as: Why doesn't affluence equal happiness?

The host, an interesting Brit named Alaine de Botton, discussed a few intriguing ideas, at one point, making this statement:

"Rousseau believed that there are only two ways to make people richer; give them more money or restrain their desires. Sadly... capitalism depends on creating new desires, so that people want what they have never wanted. The gap between what we want and what we can afford may be necessary to keep markets growing, but in psychological and emotional terms it is a gulf that daily threatens our fragile sense of who we are and what matters."

Since consumerism and conservation are so deeply intertwined, I hope this holiday finds you feeling richer ... Whatever that means for you.