How Much is Enough?

I've been thinking a lot about excess these days. From Illinois to New York, the papers are filled with stories of people succumbing to greed and bringing others down with them. All of which seems to beg the question of how much is enough and how did we get so far from the place where people were content with what they had?

The Illinois governor scandal is but one example of the greed and corruption that seems to be rampant in politics and business but to me the larger question is one of ethics. Does anyone look in the mirror these days and see scruples or have they become as outdated as rotary phones? I'm talking about more than money--I'm talking about the perception of entitlement that seems to come with achievement. What happened to the notion of doing the right thing simply because it is the right thing to do?

Everyone is someones role model. And most of ours are drowning in excess. When we have too much of anything--power, privilege, possessions--we become slaves to our need for more. Remember when you could get things fixed, like irons and dryers and microwaves? We used to take care of what we had. Now we just throw them away--everything can be replaced with a newer model that we have been convinced that we need.

I have no brilliant solutions to solve our culture of excess other than to avoid buying in to it as much as possible. And as much as I am disheartened by our national moral crisis, I am encouraged by the possibilities inherent in our new president. I truly do believe he may be the breath of fresh air that our country and our children need.

I just hope it rubs off.