Simply Ex(mas)hausted!

I went to the mall this past Sunday.  I really didn't need to go, but my son and I just went to burn some time and look for last minute gift ideas.  

As would be expected, the mall was packed and an air of Christmas frenzy was pervasive throughout.  But instead of igniting any latent Christmas spirit that might have been trapped inside, my trip to the mall resulted in an almost overwhelming sense of exhaustion.  I felt drained and anxious.  Not even an Annie's Pretzel could quell my feeling of being disoriented as I wandered aimlessly past window after window of merchandise that was neither interesting or attractive.  

Upon reflection, it occurred to me that my bout with exhaustion was, perhaps, emblematic of what is now happening in the economy.  I think we are exhausted by the demands of consumerism.  It's very possible that this economic melt-down is really a badly needed consumer time-out.  There is actually some macro-economic support for my theory.

In the post-war years, the GDNP was fueled in equal parts by business investment and consumption.  America's prosperity was driven, in large part, by a healthy and vital entrepreneurial environment.  

Starting in the 80's, the game began to change.  Instead of business investment being a key driver to growth, the burden began shifting to consumption.  Today, consumers fuel more than 70% of the GDNP.  The penultimate example of this shift to a consumption based economy was the creation of creative financing that allowed more Americans than ever to partake of the dream of home ownership.  Nobody ever thought to ask if the dream was realistic.  We just plowed forward on the arrogant belief that every American should have a nice home and bigger car(s).

Well, everyone knows how the strategy backfired, leading us into the mess that plagues the economy today.   What is clear (and has been clear longer than anybody wants to acknowledge) is that consumption cannot sustain the economy.  Not everyone can afford a home in the suburbs.  Not everyone can maintain four over-extended credit cards without having to pay some consequence.

I realized, in the days following my trip to the mall that I was exhausted by the burden of being an American consumer.  There is too much pressure on me to keep the engine churning and to buy more crap that I neither need or want.  So, we cut back this year, not out of financial necessity but out of a need to simply take a break and let the economic cards fall where they may.  Perhaps America is going through a collective "consumption colonic" the results of which will be a healthier awareness of how we "use" money.

Wow...that was a little over-the-top, but it's my blog and I can do with it what I want.  If anyone happens to read this, I'd love to know if you are having consumption exhaustion...and, if so, how are you handling it.  Do you feel responsible for perpetuating the consumption ethos in this country?  

Happy Holidays