Dahhh…

I read an interesting quote today. Charles Kettering of General Motors said, “The key to economic prosperity is the organized creation of dissatisfaction.”

I’m still thinking about this, but I think it’s very true.  It was probably very true back in Kettering’s days in the 40s and 50s, but probably a lot truer now in the 21st century.  The basic premise of marketing is to convince a customer of a need that they may or may not be aware of.  If you convince the customer that they need your product, you make the sale.

The age Kettering lived in was the start of the marketing era, when radios and TVs became common place and billboard ads started appearing on the newly created interstate highway system.  Now in our modern society we are constantly bombarded by marketing.  Wherever we go, whether in the physical world or in the virtual world, we are surrounded by advertisements.  When we drive down the freeway we see billboards, when we drive down the information superhighway we see banner ads and popups.  Any information we receive is surrounded by ads as well.  You can’t watch the news or read an article without being bombarded by stupid ads.

It seems like in this world ads are the key to economic prosperity.  And ads seem to fit the description of “the organized creation of dissatisfaction.”  I wonder if that’s part of the reason why we are so unhappy?

Anyways, that was a really weird and overly philosophical rant… quite unusual from me….  perhaps I have too much time on my hands nowadays to think.  I will finish with a bible verse that was mentioned in passing a few posts back…

This is the day the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.    -Psalm 118:24

Or in other words…… Let us try to tune out the organized dissatisfaction and be satisfied, let us return to rejoicing and being glad.  Let us realize that each day is a gift from God.  Let us find joy in simple things again.   Let us remember the gifts from God that we already have.

I know I am definitely blessed, and I need to stop wanting more and be happy with what I have.  Even the gift of waking up on a new day should be reason to rejoice.