BLACK FRIDAY: ALL THAT'S WRONG

If you want to know why the world is in such a mess, just consider Black Friday. Have you ever heard a an ad like this:

We know it's the holidays and that you all would like to give gifts to loved ones and friends.  The look on a child's face on Christmas morning is priceless. However, please don't buy something that won't last. Don't buy clothing filled with toxic chemicals, or toys laced with lead paint. Just because something is 0.5 seconds faster than the item you already have doesn't mean it's better. Don't buy products that have contributed to global warming, rainforest destruction, or that has been made on the backs of slave labor. Buy natural, buy green. Our landfills are overflowing with the junk from past holidays. Find presents that will get your child to think, that will get them outside the home. And above all, try not to use credit cards. Those bills come due and at a high rate of interest. Can you afford it. Return to the joys of family and being together and not just the idea that you have to spend lots of money for items no one really needs or wants.

No, you will never see such an ad, at least not now. But let's face it, this constant pressure to spend, spend, spend, is not about the spirit of the holidays, it is about corporate profits. It is about rampant consumerism that is destroying the planet and wreaking personal economic havoc.

Give gifts that matter, that will last, that will change the direction of buying patterns forever. Just don't buy crap that does nothing but make the rich even richer. Support the small business that sells quality products. Support the craftsmen and women that put their heart and soul into the things they make.

Above, fill your holiday with gifts that you can't buy: LOVE, PEACE, AND LIGHT. Those are gifts that simply never end up in the trash heap.