The Affluenza Virus

Years ago I took my senior year off from college so that I could travel in Nepal and Thailand. It was fantastic and one of the most incredible experiences of my life. When I returned, various friends and family inquired about my trip, then lamented the fact that many of the Nepalese villagers in my photos appeared to have "nothing". I was shocked to think of them having "nothing". I wasn't conscious of it at the time.

Oh sure, I realized that they didn't have much in material goods. I realized that most of them didn't have televisions or closets packed with piles of clothes and shoes, let alone have running water or electricity. But I never thought of them as having "nothing".

They were happy and vibrant with life. We sang songs and danced around fires with them at night. And they always greeted me with smiles and a "Namaste" - a greeting to my higher spirit. They held hands with us while we hiked (much to the dismay of my "manhood"). They were quick to laugh. And waved profusely when we departed their village for another.

One day I was seriously ill and had to actually hike 10 miles that day in the Himalayas. I was throwing up and shitting all over the place. It was miserable. I would crouch down in the shadow of the sherpa that was with me to find some coolness out of the scorching sun. The whole area had been deforested, so his shadow provided the only shade.

He carried my things while I stumbled along trying to catch up to the rest of the group. When I finally arrived into camp, the others had made it hours before, a Nepalese family took me into their tiny home and found me a bed.

I barely remember walking into that little dwelling, let alone lying down in a simple bed. When I awoke, I was in a small dark room. A little bit of light came in from a small window up above me. There were no paintings or decorations on the walls. No curtains or blinds. No real furniture in the room to speak of. There was a small group of children watching me and when I looked in their direction, they all burst into giggles and ran.

They appeared to have "nothing". But they were so openly kind, so generous and compassionate to me. We really said nothing more to each other than "Namaste" and I was persistent in letting them know my gratitude for their hospitality. I suppose that nothing else needed to be said.

And so, in response to my friends and family who were lamenting on the villagers being "poor" and having "nothing", I retorted. I looked at them a bit incredulously and said, "What do you mean? They're happier than most people I know. And so in actuality, they have EVERYTHING."

So, today I saw an add for a Santa Barbara based store: Simple Shoes, they make ecologically friendly shoes made entirely from sustainable materials. They advertise in their add:

"less is LESS*

*not more, that's just stupid
more hasn't been cool since the 80's"

I thought that this was appropriate given the below article.

Affluenza: Rampant Consumerism Erodes Us

"LONDON (Reuters Life!) - Beware the Affluenza Virus. An epidemic of mindless consumerism is sweeping the world with the compulsive pursuit of money and possessions making people richer but sadder."