Understanding Less Sometimes

When you say consumerism, the most charitable interpretation that I could make out of it is that you see that people are more concerned about buttressing themselves with worldly goods and not with good acts. This might explain issues about why there is still poverty because, in a sense, those below the poverty line are prone to the same kind of thinking. It is not always "the fault of the rich / the middle class / anyone above the the poverty threshold" why the poor are poor. In our country, for example, it is a common occurrence to see those living in shacks to procure a television set and a dvd player before saving for a kid's education. Consumerism in this case is a kind of worship, a filler for the many things that one does not have in life. Of course, this is only one face of the question; I only wanted to point out, again, that sometimes (or maybe often times) a person is responsible for all his actions. This is what it takes to be humanist, it is a double-edged sword. Though it explains why human potential could be fulfilled, it also the reason why some people can't make themselves do something about the situation. To be a humanist is to always ascertain that one should be responsible for one's actions, and that one's reality is just a function of one's choices. Change one's choices and one would change his reality. Change how one perceives reality and whole lot of opportunities will begin gushing forth.

I am not sure if we are indeed lost in consumerism, but with poverty sometimes, it's ones individual drive that keeps him or her away from poverty. The issue on poverty is quite complicated but what I am sure of is the missed opportunities these people have or the no opportunities at all.