Stuff Doesn't Define Me

• Cell Phone Salesman: Hey man check out this phone. It's brand new and it's sellin' fast, everybody is wantin' one. You know what I'm sayin'? This phone is hot!
  
• Me: So I'll be cool if I have this phone.


• Cell Phone Salesman: Hell yeah!


• Me: I don't need a phone to define me.


• Cell Phone Salesman: ....................
  

This post is somewhat of continuation of that last one since again it deals with consumerism. I hate the idea that you are can be cool, popular, and accepted only by having the right clothes and personal possessions. This is completely against any notion of individualism, creativity, or freedom. We all have to look alike in order to be accepted. What happened to judging a person by their character, personality, and morals? Now you're judged by your clothes, shoes, car, cell phone, and hair style.

I cannot stand the people who go out of their way to show off their possessions, showing how cool they are. Beyond their designer clothes there is really nothing there. Just personality centered around materialism, nothing more. Normally I try not to say anything to people like this, but sometimes I'll make an exception. Once at a party, I came across this real arrogant asshole, who thought he was the coolest thing around. Showing off how rich he is and all his cool designer shit. Trying to bring himself up by bringing everyone else down. I had to knock him off his high horse. Once he was near me and began to start shit. I just said, "I don't give a fuck how much money you have, or what you own. None of that will hide that you're nothing but an arrogant asshole, a nobody!" He looked he was going to punch me in his face, but did nothing. I guess he didn't want to mess up his clothes. He left the party soon afterwards.

If you're wondering what I look like and how I dress, you'll be surprised. I really don't stand out, except I 'm not wearing expensive name brand clothes or care about whose name is on the tag of my shirt. I don't let my personal possession define who I am.

The Land of Consumerism

It seems our soul objective in life is to consume. We are told that those who consume the most will be the happiest. Those with big houses, big cars, and big boats will be undoubtedly happy. So to be happy, which supposedly can only be possible by consumption , we work jobs we hate, jobs that we spend a good part of our lives doing. And why? So we can afford to consume and hope that will make us be happy. If you don't believe me go to any mall or shopping center. Look at all the stuff we buy that we don't need. Look at the people. They hurry around searching and searching, but for what? They look for name brand clothes, sunglasses, and cell phones. $80 for a t-shirt, $200 for those designer sunglasses, and don't forget that ultra cool cell phone we must have. But what do people really want from all this? They hope that perhaps after they buy enough shit they don't need they might be happy, but they won't. There is no end to the consumption, fashions fade and new useless shit is invented and put on the market. The point is happiness cannot be found in shopping malls or be bought and sold. All of the best times of my life never involved any material possession, never happened in a shopping mall, or was found on a shelf. I am the happiest around friends, family, and loved ones. These can never be bought and are not found in shopping malls.

Election Day

So today is election day and the choice is: Barack Obama or John McCain, or so the media and the two parties would like you to think. What about all the other parties, the Libertarian Party, Green Party, Constitutionalist Party, Boston Tea Party, and all the others? We don't ever seem to hear anything about them. The typical remarks to that statement are "won't get elected" and "they don't have enough support". My response: of course they won't get elected or have enough support if they never get any news coverage. How could any candidate get elected if nobody hears about him. The news media is completely corrupt, we have lift wing and right wing news media. How about just news media? A news media that just reports the news, does give you their personal opinion, insight, or whatever they call it (spin would best describe it). People will make up their own opinions, or at least they should be able to. I'm not too sure anymore in this land of Joe the plumber and Joe six pack.

Alcoholics Anonymous define insanity by doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results. Wouldn't voting for Republicans and Democrats over and over again expecting actual change to happen be considered insane? Maybe in the next four years after we invade another country, our economy goes down the shitter little more, more people get kicked out of their homes due to foreclosure, more people get denied health care, our dollar's value goes down a little more, and more and more politicians are bought by lobbyist and special interest groups (if there are any left to be bought) maybe then we'll elected a third party candidate. A candidate that actually offers change, not any Obama change, but actual real change and change for the better. However, I highly doubt that; most likely we'll elect someone from the two party system. Here's to another four year (at least) of hell no matter who gets elected Obama or McCain.

How I Became Who I Am

For the longest time I was what, I guess, you could call normal. I did my best to fit in, be popular and such, but over time I became sick of it. I felt like everybody was running my life, except me. I began to ask myself what I truly valued, conforming and fitting in with the rest of the crowd or be truly honest with myself. I chose the latter. Soon afterwards I started dressing how I wanted to dress, listening to the music I wanted to listen to, and doing the things I wanted to do, not what society or the general public said I should. With this new sense of individualism I began to really evaluate society, I soon discovered how controlling everything was, there were standards for everything, while individualism was forbidden and looked down upon. I began to express these views to friends, a few agreed, but many thought I was radical. Many I thought were my closest friends drifted away and I hardly ever speak to them. However, I won't conform to society for their sake, I am who I am. I now value individuality and the freedom to make my own choices, not conformity and normalcy. So I have started this blog as a journal of my personal quest to finding my own path and meaning in life and to perhaps help others find their own as well.