BUY BUY, Balance, balance.

I shop... online these days and in the past - I sometimes was into shopping BUT SOME DISCLOSURES...    

First - I would like to be objective and I'll try while also trying to identify what is subjective by using "I" phrases.

Second - retlaive to Buying Stuff... i do think I like to dress up sometimes in nice clothing HOWEVER:

a. I often do not like my body (to fat, to flabby, other?)

b. I do not throw things out SO today I have lost a lot of weight and have clothing I have kept for over 10 years and can now wear. YEA!

c. I am not sure what I want beyond good looking and fitting clothing... Maybe ART? Maybe up to date electronics, garden stuff/fixings, alwayts good food (this is gotten regularly since one MUST eet).

SO - electronics and old clothes are two good examples of why I may not be the Great American Consumer needed by our economy ... assuming we need more and more and more.. .consumption.

As a guy it is somewhat true our fashions do not change as much as women's fashions and/or we guys do not need to have this years latest stuff. Or, maybe that is just me and my late 60's background as a hippie long haired messy person. Also, I am in my 70's so what am I dressing up for? I do need good clothings hen I need to be presentable at weddings, religous services (in person!), funerals, the occasional dinners out... etc... etc. And sometimes even that list doesn't require too much from me... at least in my humble and Californai'd opinion. SO older pants and sports jackets that may be somewhat out of style are still generally, in my view, useable. Collars may be too wide or to narrow or there or not there. Ties - too wide or too narrow. What is "just right"? Where IS Goldilocks?

As for electronics - I have always heard and accepted as true the idea most of us have devices that are more powerful and capable than we actually use or need. My phone, my desktop computer, my tablet ... they are all either several years old or recently replaced as I needed to for external changes (I had to get a new phone when I changed carriers). THEN it is really cool when I do get a new computer or tablet or even phone and it is newer by several years (3 or more!) and I think almost anything I get will be SUPER faster then the previous device. FAST IS important... or at least nice. And with newer devices doing several things simultaneoulsy is possible, better, and I do it! Once I thought computer speed was not important and now I do feel impatient sometimes if the internet is slow or the processor is slow - so GO GO GO ....!!!!

And SO - as I think I am a good citizen of our community, city, state, country, world AND is not being a consumer and greasing the economy important? Yes and No,.

Yes - help the economy along... by helping workers!

No - help the ecology along by not wasting resources.

The CHURN of money through the economy is, I think, a real thing and something of a great waste while it does give people the chance to seem productive. The CHURN is The Way we distribute wealth around to many people so that which is produced can be purchased and used. We have a system where we are paying for DISTRIBUTION  more then we are paying for PRODUCTION. Supply chains, and middle men/women/brokers, and marketing, and insurance,  etc... SO much are the costs of:  transportation  and adverstising (urgiun/mnaipulating us into wanting/buying stuff), protecting stuff!

And THE ISSUE is how to support the exploded population of the world. Population is at the core of our worlds issues! Growth and maintenance of our population requires those long distribution/supply chains and war and peace determines controls of the distribution as borders are in place and need to be crossed and conflicts over those artificial boundaries/limits get breached or defended at the cost of lives and anti-life resources. 

What can I say beyond -- STOP and FIX and ENJOY what we have and BALANCE BALANCE BALANCE all the real numbers (how many people, how much food, how and where shelter).