Lovesick

"Fortunately (and unfortunately), there’s always more to consume. Every day bright and shiny new products are thrust upon us — shrink-wrapped in striking colors, boldly proclaiming their dominance and necessity. They jump off of billboards with bright, white smiles and beautiful skin. They’re stocked with attitude, emotion and catchy slogans: “Diamonds are forever.” “Just do it.” “Reach out and touch someone.” “Have it your way.” They tickle our eager ears and grab our attention. This is the modern world. And this is normal. This is all I have ever known. But the human experience wasn’t always this way. And our unquestioned commoditization of all that we interact with has striking implications for the things that cannot be bought or sold. Greed, envy, sloth, pride and gluttony: these are not vices anymore. No, these are marketing tools. Lust is our way of life. Envy is just a nudge towards another sale. Even in our relationships we consume each other, each of us looking for what we can get out of the other. Our appetites are often satisfied at the expense of those around us. In a dog-eat-dog world we lose part of our humanity."