Get Out of Bed!

"No matter how big or soft or warm the bed is, you still have to get out of it."

-- Grace Slick

I love big, soft warm beds -- for awhile. For about 5-7 hours, they are Heaven on Earth. After that, I want to get up! No amount of lollygagging around in bed (unless I'm with a beautiful woman) is going to add to my day one iota.

But it goes well beyond beds. We live in a culture where we are taught that the big, the soft, the warm, so to speak, is our goal. Wall Street, Madison Avenue, and yes, even Main Street, would like us to believe that true happiness is just one more purchase away. Get that big king size, pillow top, Sleep Number Bed, and, yep, you'll finally be really, truly happy. The minute you mount that giant flat screen TV on your wall, your life will become pain free. And if you were only driving the Cadillac CTS, you'd be so turned on and powerful that global warming, world poverty and the health care crisis couldn't even touch you.

I'm not sure that I agree, and by "not sure that I agree" I really mean lies, lies and more lies! The goal of life is not purchased pleasure. The one good thing that can be said about trying to buy happiness is that sooner or later disillusionment will set in, and then, hopefully, you'll search for meaning somewhere beyond the mall. Comfort is not king. It is just a brief respite between the real, exciting, simple experiences of life.

So, no matter what type of bed, television, or car you have, it's better to use them appropriately than to be seduced by them. It's time to get out of the big, soft, warm comfort of consumer culture and go out and see the big, wide, wonderful world!