“If Americans have taken the
‘pursuit of happiness’ exhortation
to obscenely materialistic lengths
over the years, accumulating possessions
like there is tomorrow,
Canadians have held on to
Uncle Sam’s coat-tails, intoxicated by
our own extended buying spree.”
(
Time to Rethink American Dream, Mindelle Jacobs)
Clearly, Americans and Canadians are not the only people who have accumulated possessions and are going through a ‘rethink’ as an age of austerity takes stronger root.
As the use and over-use of fossil fuels became the norm over the last 60 - 80 years, vast wealth grew throughout the world. And though the U.S.A., Canada and Australia lead the pack in terms of per capita emissions of dangerous greenhouse gases, many other countries are closing the gap (e.g. China, India) as they chase their own delightful version of the American Dream.
Our extended buying spree must be curtailed. Our peace of mind and heart are at stake, and less-importantly, our economy.
Yesterday I admitted I live
a regal life, master of my own domain (the most comfortable region being my 9 by 19 ft. workshop), and have six basic and several higher needs met without great difficulty.

And as I redefine the good life or my version of the Canadian Dream (see ‘Lessons to be learned from the recession Parts 1 and 2’ below) I must be more careful not to let the fulfillment of basic needs distract me as much from a higher life.
I suppose, as I look a bit more closely at my basic needs (Things: food, clothing, shelter, communication, transportation, recreation), I need to ask myself some questions.
Foe example - re food:
Can I eat more simply, conservatively?
Will my efforts benefit others as well as myself?
Do I need to stockpile so many items in cupboards?
How many kinds of mustard do I actually need?
Can I make healthier salad dressing on my own?
Is a freezer absolutely necessary?
Can I lower my meat consumption further?
Where does will power come from?
How much time do I spend dealing with food?
What are the easiest or quickest ways to cut back on that time element, so that there’s more time for important matters?
How did we get to the point that a basic need eats up so much time?
***
I’m an average guy with average questions. What did I miss?
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