Rich in stuff yet homeless

"We are guided by an ideology so familiar and pervasive that we do not even recognise it as an ideology. It is called consumerism. " George Monbiot, Oil Strike.

The ideology is so effective because the poor believe the rich are happier and the rich believe their happiness depends on what they can buy next.

I know this because I have been poor and now I am rich. It is a generalization of course and generalizations are essential in consumer societies.  First we consume ideas and then generalize them for convenience.

Convenience is another ideology built on and for capitalism. I am surrounded by stuff to the extent it oppresses me. My cupboards and closets and garage are crammed with so much stuff that needs to be sorted, thrown out but can't be given away.  We live in a convenient consumer society where this stuff is everywhere.

We can't give it to the poor because they have nowhere to live. Nine years ago we downsized our house so our stuff was squeezed into any available space. 

Homes could be built and it would cost less in the long run to house the homeless, but we are addicted to consumerism and we would rather see people starving, cold and addicted on the street than see our "property values" go down. (That's another generalization of course).

We are also addicted to blaming the powerless. Rather than see the humanity in inequality we make them an enemy. In fact in our consumer society, every living thing is a threat to our imaginations if we build our worth on stuff.

A hundred years ago would your ancestors be okay with prices based on slave labour overseas while many are without jobs? Would they have slept well knowing that human rights have been replaced with a new religion called neo-liberal capitalism? Would they also feel so oppressed that destroying the planet and the future of our offspring is the only option?

We have become homeless in our own imaginations.