Americans take for granted luxuries not granted to others

It is now the mid-semester hump.

The time where workloads pile high, patience wears thin and complaints are overflowing is upon us.

Seemingly, it has spawned an epidemic of self-pity that reeks of an entitled generation addict­ed to America.

This country is the home of good living.

But, the rise of consumerism and technology has contributed to a decline in the social net worth of our society.

Multinational corporations use cheap labor as fuel to drive the globalization bandwagon around the world, by jet, boat or plane.

Capitalism has clinched fin­gers around the globe to bring us mp3 players, tennis shoes, Dooney & Bourke, SUVs— anything that a VISA can buy.

To this, we owe our addiction to America, powered by tech­nology and consumerism.

People must feel it affecting them physiologically.

The systematic and uncon­trollable urge for a Facebook login closely resembles the way a human programmed by a com­puter would act.

Maybe it’s only as noticeable as a subconscious reach for the pocket you keep your phone in.

Yet, even that small gesture reveals a compulsion resting just barely beneath your conscious­ness.

This technology distraction works like hypnotism.

It keeps us tuned in and hang­ing on for the next episode.

I see people walking around their daily affairs with ear buds.

They are missing the beautiful sounds of nature and the ability to communicate with others of the same species.

The media—television, inter­net, radio, DVD—multi-portal access to zombifying digital en­tertainment ensnares.

Meanwhile, they brainwash us to use their products by peda­gogically pandering promises of peak performance.

Americans will waste money on products that are little more than snake oil.

However, when the poor kid from the developing world pops onto your screen asking for 12 cents a day, the whole room is convinced it’s a scam or it’s doomed for failure.

Don’t worry about it.

Obviously God intended for them to die that way.

Let’s face it, the poorest peo­ple in America live better than most people in the world.

Poor in America means a fam­ily shares a vehicle.

Poor in Asia means you own a stick and, if you’re lucky, a bowl, too.

Yet, we never acknowledge that the way we live, luxurious and wasteful, is paid for by tak­ing advantage of less-developed countries and the poor people that live there.

I say maybe they’re the lucky ones, holding on to the last ves­tiges of unadulterated human communities.

Gone are the days where a phone call from a significant other left butterflies in a young lovers stomach.

We’ve sold out for a “lol J.”

We are hooked.

Beati possidentes [Blessed are those who possess].