I was listening to Left Jab on XM yesterday, and one of the guests said the economic crisis......

[marmar]

..... is going to force Americans to re-evaluate what "success" means and redefine the so-called American Dream. And I thought about it - clearly the era of excess is over, and a "Less is More" paradigm will have to take over.
But just think about how our economy is structred: Aisles and aisles of goods in a mind-numbingly repetitive array of chain stores fueled by easy access to credit. Just how radically is that going to change in the coming years? And are Americans really prepared for what's coming?
It was all very provocative food for thought, and provided lots of great discussion material for my crew at our usual Sunday coffee house rap session.
Personally, I think it's going to be a very painful adjustment, but in the end, whenever that end comes, it will be a good one. This "lifestyle" we've become accustomed to is entirely unsustainable anyway.

:think:

[AndyTiedye]

1. Make Stuff That Doesn't Break Down so Fast and We Won't Consume so Much

Much of the reason we "consume" so much is that our stuff consumes itself.
Quickly. And there's no way to repair it.
Make stuff that doesn't break down right after the 90-day warrantee runs out and we won't have to buy so much.
Make it here and we won't consume so much fuel shipping it to us.

Instead of "consuming" stuff, we used to pass it down to our kids.
Not much stuff is built to last that long anymore.