Loved your point about consumerism taking over. As a mom to three kids, it is very difficult to teach them that we do not need everything they see on TV and that the things they see on TV or online are not necessarily true. Great post! We all need to cut down on the commercialism and get back to a more value-based society!

Christine

@ Melissa – I’ve moved house three times since living in Thailand, and every time I’ve gotten that “ugh” feeling of overwhelm. I don’t have too much clothing and stuff by many people’s standards, but every time I have to pack it all up, I end up purging more. Excess bogs us down.

@ Trina – It’s true that many people get caught up in reading things they feel they *should*, whether because of expectations, guilt, or some type of blogworld courtesy. When we’re honing our filters, it’s definitely most important to stay true to our values.

@ Jenx67 – Social media certainly lends itself to “crafting” our images! As I mentioned in my post about how we are all storytellers, I think we are all perpetually crafting an image…consciously or not. Social media is a much more deliberate version of that crafting, though.

@ Carla – Wow, the election was the epitome of information overload! The months and months leading up to it, and it only got denser as the day approached. Burn-out was inevitable I think…

Carla´s last blog post..Green and Chic Blog | What is it?

This is another very useful post. Thank you. As far as Facebook, I think all that connectivity makes me dizzy. It’s too much virtuality. Not to mention people posting pictures of their perfect lives – telling us how they want us to think about them. I feel a tic coming on, and you know what else? I think I just realized that when I’m on Facebook, I start itching behind my neck about my blog, and I have to go read Penelope Trunk’s guide to blogging and remind myself not to worry about being anonymous – or not.

I also just realized that I intentionally come up with the most ridiculous status messages for Facebook on occasion – my attempt to filter through everyone’s crap??? or keep from filtering my own truth? My last status message was: “You can’t make me clean up the French Fry’s ketchup off the high chair.”

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As always, I find your posts thought provoking. Everyone, I believe, is victim to the thoughtless ways that big business uses to get us to open our wallets. If you study copy writing at all, you soon learn the psychological triggers used to get us to open our wallets. But to me, consumerism has always been about choice.

I used to spend a great deal of money on books because I have a driving need and thirst for knowledge. The internet has been a real boon to my wallet. I take the sensationalized headlines that Urban Panther is so against with a grain of salt. I can do so because I have taught myself over the years to filter out the sensational from just plain good reporting. In another discussion on the web, I read how journalists are no longer a viable source of information. I believe that is true. One only needs to look to Bill O’Reilly to see that, or, heaven help us, Rush Limbaugh. I tend to lean more towards The Huffington Post for my news. Op-ed journalism is really the name of the game in this day and age of instant news.

It is our obligation as members of a global community to filter out and take what is relevant to us. Think about it – you are a young girl living in Thailand, I an old coot living in Michigan in the US, yet we exchange information and opinions on a regular basis. I am sure everyone who posts here, including myself, wonder at the credibility of commenters. Yet we share different opinions and information, which allows us to make our own decisions. That, dear girl, is the name of the game.

Peace,

Alden~

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@ Urban Panther – You make an important distinction. I can certainly see what you mean — the more info we consume, the more hectic our entire lives feel. That really shows the need to filter our consumption to only worthwhile, stimulating things, lest we be bogged down by crap.

@ cuileann – I’d love to hear your thoughts…

@ Matthew – “Useful” is definitely up for debate. But I do think that it’s important to read thought-provoking prose to stimulate our own thinking… balance to avoid living in a mental bubble. Of course going out to experience the world is ideal, but reading/watching/listening have to substitute sometimes .

@ Alex – Your three comments just embodied exactly where I want these “Community Contemplation” posts to go — we get to watch your thinking process spin as we read!

Also, taking breaks is underrated — the world does go on! Good move.