Land of Plenty

Over the years I have spent plenty of time in a wide range of grocery and drug stores. I suspect the same holds true for most Americans. Recently, I was in a chain drugstore looking for some odds and ends when I found myself focusing on the high volume of different brands of shampoo. In fact, there were easily two isles of nothing but shampoo. Shampoo. Our country may be dealing with economic hardship right now and the middle and lower classes may be under siege from the upper class, but, rich or poor, people sure are able to take proper care of their hair in the United States. My guess is there are countries in the world that do not even have two shelves of food in their grocery stores.

I realize my observation is not new. But I do wonder in a country that possess so many material things, what kind of impact does that have on our ability to communicate with each other? Does it make it harder? Easier? Does it make people want to connect with others more or less? Or in some way does it make us feel more smug and self absorbed and, as a result, make us only want to talk with others as an excuse to show-off what we have and share our dreams of how we want more? Has our land of plenty set us on a path of perpetual self-indulgence to the extent we as a collective society are only interested in what is best for us even if obtaining it comes at the expense of others?

While there is certainly nothing wrong with possessing or even wanting lots of material things, problems occur when those desires circumvent efforts to identify areas of shared interest. Within effective communication is the opportunity for us to talk about ourselves, our possessions and our goals. But that "me talk" should be compatible with "us talk." There should be a healthy balance between the two. Again, this speaks to the reality that communication as a values-driven enterprise is at its best when individuals are talking with rather than at each other.