Reducing Christmas spending is a sure way to get the ire of the retail wranglers, the debt deliverers, the corporate conquerors, the spending spinsters, the credit card crooners, and the overspending gurus.
What would the effect be of 70% less resources consumed? The positive exponential re-enforcing loop could be staggering.
“All right Redfearn, what is your big idea?”
“Ummm. Uh. Let’s see. How do I say it? It is rather, uh, well, elementary. Please don’t get angry with me. It’s called……..SHARING!”
How many days a year does the average motorhome sit unused and empty, just longing to go for a ride? That gotta have new hunting rifle? Let’s say the hunt is real long, maybe 3 weeks. What does the rifle do the other 49 weeks of the year? Honestly, how many days a year is that must have riding snow blower used? How many hours is it used on the few days that it is needed for snow removal? Is there time to talk about that Ab machine, treadmill, stationary bike, and workout DVD?
My daughter just told me that on a super high-use day she listens to her iPod a whopping………..three hours. Surely it is bored to tears the other 21 hours a day. My guess is that the average laptop computer sits idle over 20 hours a day. And how many hundreds of hours a year does that high tech personal Espresso Machine sit beautifully on the cabinet while its owner is at Kaladi Brothers (of course I prefer MCA member owned Cafe’ D’Arte) enjoying a Latte’?
Sharing could have significant positive impact. Sharing would greatly reduce the demand upon the international supply chain. Personal spending would be reduced astronomically. Sharing would require a revival of cooperation. People would interact with each other on a deeper and more consistent level. The stress of upkeep would be spread across several families.
Maybe I have lost my marble (marbles on a good day). Should we care that the average church building (the greatest asset of most congregations) sits empty over 80% of the time?
Now that I am an adult, I realize that I haven’t outgrown one of my very first words……………………..
“MINE!”
PS I hear that most USAmericans should resist the temptation to share their televisions………since they are watched virtually every waking hour of the day.