Every week or so we get a lovely box full of delicious vegetables left on our door step courtesy of 'Riverford'. In amongst the usual parsnips and carrots is newsletter which this week had the following article. The musings of Guy Watson are always interesting but this one caught my eye so I thought I'd share it with you. Let me know your thoughts...
As our chancellor tries, with ever increasing desperation, to jolt us into renewed spending there is a growing revolt against playing our ant-like parts as consumers in keeping the machine rolling. We have woken up; the hypnotic spell of manic greed and envy, followed by dizzy credit-fuelled consumption has been broken. We can do without a lot that stuff.
Amongst the all-pervading gloom of the lst few months I gain some cheer from the number of people who seem to be questionning the assumptions and values that have got us to this point; namely that we must consume more to be happy. These are not hippies, rebels or revolutionaries; just people who have had enough of slaving to keep. I have a suspicion (and a hope) that we will now see many people slow down, savour what they have and take control of their lives. whether it is by making your own jam or compost, by growing your own veg or brewing your own beer, by mending it rather than replacing it, it is all about taking control and not being passive consumers.
See you all on Sunday! TTFN
Love this! We really do have to rethink our lifestyles. Gordon Brown's quest to restore confidence in the economy by encouraging banks to lend money they don't have again and trying to get us all spending what we don't have again, is madness! Do we really want to sink deeper into the consumerist driven economy of frantically trying to earn enough to pay off our debts! Do companies want to depend on survival being based on people being persuaded to buy products they will never be able to pay off. Let's get back to reallity. There is a better way to live!
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