What is the Problem?

This has been a fascinating year. Not only has our economy hit the skids, but earlier in the year we saw food and fuel costs skyrocket to record levels. Why did costs go up so quickly. The buzz in newspapers and on blogs was China had become a new "super consumer" and was gobbling up all the resources. I heard one commentator say that the people of China had been eating rice for years and they were ready for something different. The Chinese are also driving more vehicles, therefore using more fuel. Now we know that China has has over a billion inhabitants but the fertility rate is currently under 2.0. Is the problem with the population or is it attitude?

Here in the USA everyone is worried about the economy, people have lost jobs and are losing their homes. Yet how much are we really suffering? This is a country where you can be "poor" but still have a cell phone and subscribe to cable. One American consumes the same amount of resources as 30 people in India!? Population is not the issue in the US, it is our culture of self indulgence.

Residents of other countries have somewhat of a love/hate relationship with the west, on one hand they hate us and see us as greedy and self indulgent, on the other hand they wish they could live like we do. I visited Thailand several years ago and was amazed by how much they all loved Americans. The people there made me feel like a celebrity. But why do they like us? It makes me think of those popular kids in school that we all hated but wanted to be friends with. The American lifestyle is an ideal.

It seems to me that it has something to do with human nature. I once heard this story about a monkey trap, (I don't know if it's true) I like the idea behind the story. Apparently poachers put a piece of fragrant fruit in the bottom of a jar with a narrow opening and bury it with the opening exposed. A monkey smells the fruit, reaches in and grabs it but can't get its fist out while it is holding the fruit. Refusing to let go of its prize the monkey is easily captured by the poachers. I think it is the same way with people we are so caught up in our own self gratification that we are completely unable to see how it may lead to our own demise.