Who draws the line between acceptable and excess?
Who draws the line between acceptable and excess?
Who gets to define that boundary?
I’m seriously considering the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, or Ashoka. Teach people how to read, help people get jobs, build houses, serve food, fight for basic healthcare. Something. I just can’t stomach seeing 30-somethings in the clubs gargling $500 bottles of Kristal and wearing $700 Gucci shoes to match their $1500 Prada handbag when you know they’ve had to step over three homeless people to get in the door. I cringe at their superficiality.
Then I think – that sounds so hypocritical of me as I sit here munching down a hot sandwich checking my voicemail. But there has to be a line somewhere, doesn’t there? That place that delineates reasonable from excessive? And who determines where it is, since it’s so highly subjective? What’s the difference between a $100 pair of shoes and a $700 pair of shoes in terms of excess? Is there one?
Where to go from here?
I need to get back to real people and away from the distorted universe that is NYC. To me, life is not (and should not be) about Bentleys and designer couture. I just don’t care what’s “in” and what’s “out”. What difference does it make? Real difference?
I feel like I’ve been taking and taking without giving back. I want to make someone’s life better – help people. The question is how? By doing what?
And where?
Posted by Amanda at May 29, 2005 01:13 AM
