Leaving Behind Consumerism

I like to think that American society is finally moving on from the culture of consumerism.  I’d like to think we’ve come a long way since George W. Bush told Americans after the disaster that was 9/11 that the solution to our problem was to spend the weekend shopping.

Corporate American Flag
Corporate American Flag

 

I was recently gifted with a number of higher-conciousness movies, programs, and snippits of technology that help drive people to be a part of the solution.  One of these programs, The Century of the Self, speaks about how American corporations and politicians worked to use Freudian theory and analysis to control by convincing them they didn’t have enough.

It’s interesting listening to the description of how most people lived their lives before this psychological campaign started.   Continue reading “Leaving Behind Consumerism”

An Offer I Couldn’t Refuse

When I returned from my first visit to Nicaragua, I connected with all my new friends via facebook. Facebook is a strong networking tool, and I like to use it as a way to keep in touch with interesting people I encounter in my travels in the hopes that we’ll connect again in the future.   So there I was, back in Austin, posting info about all the fun yoga things that happen in Austin.  Whoo, and there are a lot!  Austin is a city that supports a strong and healthy yoga community.

One day, I received a short note from the owner of the yoga studio I’d visited here in Nicaragua mentioning that I made him wish he were in the States, what with all the fun yoga happenings occurring in Austin.  I responded that my desire was to return to Nicaragua and explore the side of life available here.  That’s when he made an offer I couldn’t refuse.  Continue reading “An Offer I Couldn’t Refuse”