How can we live better with less?

Question

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.

That is the stark warning issued by best-selling British psychologist Oliver James after a "mind tour" of seven countries chronicling how depression envelopes the affluent. "We have become addicted to having rather than being and confusing our needs with our wants," he told Reuters in an interview to mark publication on Thursday of "Affluenza."

Globe-trotting from New York to Sydney, Singapore and Shanghai via Copenhagen, Moscow and Auckland, he concluded after interviewing 240 people that "selfish capitalism" has run riot. Bigger houses, more cars, larger televisions, younger faces -- these goals are frenetically pursued by middle-class workaholics afflicted by "Affluenza." see full article at www.franciscanvocation.com

Answer 1

yep . Just don't need it all

Answer 2

Don't get used to having more.

Answer 3

eat chips

Answer 4

You can live better with less. Have a look at Permaculture.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Answer 5

Eve is right. Less "Things"  is more life. It took me over 50 years to figure this out. Hope many of you can learn this much earlier in your lives.

Answer 6

Its about about living within your means. Stop overspending, over-consuming, and wasting.

Answer 7

Yes, and America is hardest hit with the disease because you are so gullible and easily led.

Shut off your tv, get off those ever expanding butts, and get outside, talk to your neighbours, have your kids play together, and stop buying ridiculous games that only make the corporate (and Asian) population rich (one day you will regret that) and be self supportive and buy local.

Start caring about humanity, your neighbours, grow your own foods, live a simple life, work on educating your children (and yourselves) and exercise, play and laugh a little.

Do you people not see the garbage that is being imported into your country, and how unsafe and unhealthy it all is?  Cat food from China...killing your pets...toothpaste from China...full of dangerous bacteria....that is only what is known as much is not inspected.

Why is North America the only continent with such rampid  CANCER?  I mean think about your lifestyles, what you consume, how you live, the toxic factories you live next too, what they are doing to your water and produce, (how many of you have allergies and asthma?) and maybe then a lightbulb will actually switch on in those heads.

Answer 8

suffering is caused by desire.

want nothing out of life and you will never suffer.

Answer 9

If we could spend more time doing volunteer work with the homeless and poor we would get our needs and wants distinguished and perhaps our lives would be prioritized evenly.

Answer 10

People think I'm rich because I work 4-5 months a year (80+ hour weeks, but still), own my house free and clear, and have money in the bank.   I look at them driving past me in their new cars to the bars and expensive restaurants and think "no wonder you're broke".    Know the difference between a need and a desire.   Clean water, not necessarily from France or Tahiti, is a need.   A 42" plasma TV and new clothes are desires.

Answer 11

Oliver James can't. While your stroking your own guilt he's selling you books. I can't wait for the hippie idiots to die out. The West develops the greatest civilization the world has ever known and we want to whizz it away on non existent problems.

Answer 12

Move in with your parents.  I don't need to read a book to know what is going on in the world regarding how people still try to out do each other. Look around your neighborhood, 2 parents one child and they both have brand new cars. A parent that does not work does not need a new car to go to store, etc. then they have to sell their house because they can't afford it  , but it is important to show the world that they have two new cars.  Really I am not impressed by this at all.

Answer 13

I absolutely believe that we can do more with less.  I used to make $100K and now because of alot of factors, I make about $50K.  We can adjust to anything.  WE are a resilient people and we can do anything.  We just need the will to do it.

Answer 14

Why can't we have an original thought instead of relying on the "copy and paste" feature?