http://www.minyanville.com/dailyfeed/perhaps-we-should-stop-spending/
Tim Jackson, a sustainability expert who studies sociology and economics, talks about how the economical cycle is locked to a social system in which status is represented by things. And because we naturally seek status, we have an insatiable appetite for material goods.
He points out that Adam Smith talked about "Living a life without shame," which for Smith meant climbing out of poverty. For us it has meant accumulating cars, clothes, electronics, etc., even when we can't afford them. And now
