No Rusty Cages Monday

Break that rusty cage and RUN!

What if you gained every material comfort you could dream of, but lost your freedom? Gained wealth, but lost your moral compass? Gained fame, but lost your family? Such is life for so many in 'developed' countries and other places where money and economic matters increasingly dominate the bottom line of all decision-making.

For too long has the world been invaded by the shock troops of materialism, greed and consumer capitalism. The purpose of these deadly economic soldiers is to infiltrate our defensive lines and break our cohesiveness as much as possible. When they succeed, family and community life become casualties as cooperative values are replaced by a competitive race for scarce resources.

It has not been called the Consumer Revolution for nothing, as there indeed has been a complete overthrow of our social order. And the battle continues and spreads like a festering sore through the other shock troop - globalism.

Considering our experience, I fear for those countries enduring 'development' through globalization today, notably the BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India, and China). Will the citizens of these rapidly changing nations willingly enter into the rusty cage of consumerism being built for them?

Just as I hope that the consumers of 'developed', or 'conquered', nations can break out of their economic rusty cages, I hope that the citizens of developing nations currently under assault can resist stepping into them in the first place.