Category: Money

Do We Have Too Much Stuff?

In many ways, our society is based on the idea of buying things. It helps keep our economy active, but does it lead to us having too much stuff?

Having a healthy economy seems to be good for everyone. Companies have the resources to produce goods, workers have money to buy those goods, and owners can turn a profit. Everyone wins, right?

Of course, it is not that simple. One problem we are seeing is that people buy things without necessarily having the money to be able to afford them. Credit, in the form of loans or credit cards, make it all too easy to buy things without necessarily having the money for them.

Another issue is with the environment. Making goods takes resources and energy, and those are available in finite quantities. Our consumer culture is leading to the depletion of natural resources, or environmental devastation in the effort to get more.

The primary problem we are talking about today regards the accumulation of stuff. In a consumer culture, an entire industry has been created around convincing you that you need to buy the latest tech, another car, tchotchkes and doodads of all sorts.

Some people have a problem with hoarding, bringing item after item into their home and never throwing anything out. Others move their excess stuff to a storage locker, if they have too much to fit in the home where they live. Or perhaps things just get dumped in a landfill if we no longer have space.

Is this a real problem in our society? Are we living in an unsustainable way when it comes to our belongings? Or is it just a case of some people having too much disposable income and too little self control?

Related questions: How much is enough? What material possession means the most to you? What possessions of yours will someone want when you die? How many pairs of shoes do you own?

Unrestrained Capitalism Or Social Democracy?

Which do you think makes for a better society: capitalism with as few restraints on it as possible, or a form of social democracy with protections for the masses?

Share why if you wish.

Unrestrained Capitalism Or Social Democracy?
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What Should Taxes Be Used For?

How taxes are collected and spent can be a contentious topic. In your opinion, what should our tax dollars be spent on?

Opinions on taxation vary quite widely. At one extreme are people who would prefer to eliminate taxation completely. Others would like to drastically increase taxes, particularly on wealthy individuals, in order to fund community services.

Some of the services that are typically under the federal purview are infrastructure projects, including highways, bridges, airports and shipping ports. Basically, if a structure or system spans different states, or is too large for any one state to fund and manage, the federal government gets involved.

Similarly, taxes typically pay for defense, including various military services, weapons systems, and the like. These are used for defending the entire country from outside threats. Spending on national defense can vary quite widely from country to country.

Health care is another area where taxes can be spent. The percentage of people covered and the quality of care can make the spending differ drastically.

Foreign aid, scientific research, food inspection, disease prevention, disaster recovery, and management of public lands are also common spending targets.

As tax revenue goes down, spending should also decrease. While collecting taxes is unpopular, elimination or reduction of services is also unpopular. Managing both the rate at which money comes in and goes out is a difficult balance, and rising deficits show that it is difficult to maintain.

How should our taxes be collected and distributed? Do we take in too much, or too little? What about spending? Is there a general philosophy regarding what we should collectively fund?

Related questions: What are our responsibilities to others? What role should government play in our lives? What is the purpose of money? What does the government do that wouldn’t be done otherwise?

When Do You Feel Powerful?

Within us, we all have power: the power to think, speak, act, question, and more. We don’t, however, always recognize how powerful we are.

We all want power of some sort. You may not necessarily think of it as power, but we want a better life for ourselves and our loved ones. That might include getting an education, so we know more about how the world works. We might strive for a high-paying job so we can afford a house and other things. Or we find a partner and start a family.

All these are normal life activities, but they are also ways to increase how powerful we are. We use our knowledge, our money, and our connections to our benefit.

One of the key aspects of having power is being able to apply it when and where it will do the most good. And to do that, you have to recognize your own abilities, and to feel comfortable using them.

Think about experiences you have had, and in particular try to recall when you have felt the most in control of a situation.What was happening at that moment, and why did you feel powerful? Are there any sorts of common threads to making your voice heard, or getting your point across?

There are bound to be times when you feel powerless. However, that’s never true. There is always something you can do, some action you can take. In order to most effectively tap into your own strength, it helps to recognize it.

When have you felt the most powerful? Can you recreate that feeling, even if the circumstances are different?

Related questions: Who has power? How much power does an individual have? What can you control? How can we build confidence?

 

How Do You Feel About Paying Taxes?

How do you feel about paying taxes? Do you resent it? Is it a necessary burden? Are you happy to pool resources to pay for things no individual would or could?

Share why if you wish.