http://www.jaredbridges.net/archives/2007/12/04/losing-our-souls-for-self/ News, opinion, commentary, & general mischief from Jared Bridges Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:12:16 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 http://www.jaredbridges.net/archives/2007/12/04/losing-our-souls-for-self/comment-page-1/#comment-105003 Jack Yan Sun, 16 Dec 2007 22:01:04 +0000 http://www.jaredbridges.net/archives/2007/12/04/losing-our-souls-for-self/#comment-105003 I have seen this development during my time in New Zealand. My impression of the country as a child in the 1970s was that New Zealanders had dignity. Not a heck of a lot to buy, but that meant everyone had savings, there were plenty of jobs, and there was a sense of self-respect. Today, consumerism has taken hold: you can get anything you want, but fewer and fewer people can afford it. Folks are defined by what they have, not who they are, and the average spend of a household outweighs the average take-home pay packet. This is dangerous, but it stems from an unquestioned pursuit of a class-dividing technocracy at the expense of looking after our own. Our present government, so full of politically correct promises to correct things in 1999, has proved to be no friend in narrowing the income gap and restoring the lost sense of dignity. I have seen this development during my time in New Zealand. My impression of the country as a child in the 1970s was that New Zealanders had dignity. Not a heck of a lot to buy, but that meant everyone had savings, there were plenty of jobs, and there was a sense of self-respect. Today, consumerism has taken hold: you can get anything you want, but fewer and fewer people can afford it. Folks are defined by what they have, not who they are, and the average spend of a household outweighs the average take-home pay packet. This is dangerous, but it stems from an unquestioned pursuit of a class-dividing technocracy at the expense of looking after our own. Our present government, so full of politically correct promises to correct things in 1999, has proved to be no friend in narrowing the income gap and restoring the lost sense of dignity.

]]> http://www.jaredbridges.net/archives/2007/12/04/losing-our-souls-for-self/comment-page-1/#comment-104222 Randy Wed, 05 Dec 2007 15:00:03 +0000 http://www.jaredbridges.net/archives/2007/12/04/losing-our-souls-for-self/#comment-104222 Excellent and very true. Excellent and very true.

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