And You Thought the Cries for a Pony Were Bad

My mother just came home with a very interesting story for me. One of her coworkers had a five year old daughter who had been invited to a birthday party.

On the invitation, it read: "Child is registered at Toys "R" Us."

Yes. That's right. A gift registry for children. Where kids can sit down and make out a whole list of demands for their birthdays. Check it out: http://www.toysrus.ca/registry/index.jsp

The theory is that this is helpful, that the guests won't have to stress about what to buy. But what is this teaching the children? Instead of being grateful and pleasantly surprised, they expect everything they have demanded.

If I were the mother of the child who received that invitation, I would use it as a learning opportunity for my daughter. I would make a donation to a charity in the birthday girl's name, and my daughter would learn what giving is really about... which, by the way, is NOT making sure a five year old's every whim is met.

Me, Myself, and I

What do "iPod," "MySpace," and "YouTube" all have in common?
I mean, besides that they are all modern obsessions. Look at the words themselves.

Here, let me help you out:
iPod
MySpace
YouTube

Hopefully you caught it that time.

So here's my concern: Why is our culture so self-centered? Why is it all about us? Am I the only one who sees danger in this way of thinking?

I'm not saying that there are any moral issues with those products themselves. I adore my iPod. They're just exemplary of how deeply ingrained this way of thinking is.

What I do worry about is how this mindset will affect us. First off, I think it's a false mentality. The world does not revolve around you. Sorry to burst your bubble. The are billions of other people who are just as important as you. And know what? You couldn't live without them.

Our culture promotes independence and self-sufficiency like it's going out of style. Frankly, I wish it would. People are dependant on each other. And it's a good thing!

Think of everything that goes into keeping up just your house. Electricity, heating, plumbing, the building itself. I highly doubt you could have even built it all on your own, forget fixing everything.

Even if you did build your house, where'd you get all the materials? Other people!

We need to start treating others with the mindset that they are important to us. The media will always play on our selfishness, because it will trigger our greed. We need to fight it with our attitudes.

So thank you. I need you.