Your Dollar Goes a Long Way Baby

Revel in the power of the fiscal commandments, oh happy American consumer. The market is your plaything. It is you that holds the key to the world's future. And by future, I don't mean 50 years from now...that magical sometime-far-from-today. Each and every one of our purchases TODAY has the potential to change the world, or at the very least your waistline. McDonalds vs. the local farmer's market (hey Pat!), HD vs. Mom & Pop's Feed-n-Seed, coalpower vs. greenpower, coke vs. a naked or *gasp* WATER, TDI vs. F350, FSC vs. same-ol-plywood...you get the idea.

What you buy and how you use it says a lot about you, your thoughts and perceptions of the world, and perhaps even your goals for the future. Yes, the global ruling elite might have something else in mind (namely the health of their own offshore bank accounts). But as the entire globe lurches and leaps toward "First World" lifestyles, it's up to us consumers to set the trends for international growth. Nowhere is that more important than in the United States, current soveriegn symbol of consumption and excess; "Yes it's our birthright. Screw you buddy!". Difficult decisions, these things called purchases. Fraught with battle realities - a genuine concern for the world's creatures (humans, plants, animals...you know, all the living stuff) versus the economic realities of a world gone western - what's a shopper to do?

Try being more conscientous of your purchases. Do a little research (go ahead, admit the fact you enjoy office contests whereby people race to google little-needed facts. We all do it). Know what you're buying, who made it, where it comes from, how it impacts you down the line. Investigate product lifecycles. Rail against excessive packaging - it'll save you from emptying the trash so often. Buy better quality items, even if they might cost more. Why? Well of course they may last longer, they tend to be higher quality and maybe even more stylish, and people will be jealous of you. Of course all of this requires you to think. Go ahead, it's okay. Be a trend setter, make the mindless sheeple follow your moves. If R. Kelly was a pied piper, imagine what you could do.