"Corduroy Pants and Lettuce"

I learned something new today...I look freakin' awesome in corduroy pants. Just kidding. However, while in TX over fall break I decided that it was essential to my survival that I acquire a pair of corduroy pants. It might strike you as odd that an eighteen year old guy determines his life expectancy on a pair of pants but are we, as twenty-first century Americans, not guilty of this sort of thing everyday? Our consumer driven society, even though quite convenient and comfortable, may prove to be the very cause of our demise. I was reading The Communist Manifesto for a world lit. Class today, and the similarities between our society today and the society of that time are incredible. It reads, "[they] forged the weapons that bring death to themselves, and also called into existence the men who are to wield those weapons". Is this not the same thing we have done with materialism? We are so incredibly self-centered in every aspect of our lives. We go to the bank, and we want the teller to tell us what we want to hear and "serve" us...because of course that is her job...isn't it? We drive up to the pick-up window at McDonald's and we get all bent out of shape over a missing french fry, or lettuce on a hamburger when we specifically said, "NO LETTUCE!" If you don't believe me about the selfishness that is sucking all life out of our nation, just drop by your local buffet-style restaurant. Golden Corral on a Sunday afternoon...'nuff said! People will do almost anything imaginable to get what they want. Cost is not an issue...financially or otherwise. We will degrade others to make ourselves look just a little bit better in front of that special girl/guy/boss/whoever. We so flippantly expect things to be served to us on a silver platter....the way we want it, when we want it...or else! We want a certain car, a certain brand, a certain paycheck, a certain "group" of friends. We will dedicate our entire lives to attaining something that, beyond the surface level, is worth absolutely nothing. Even though I think it would be a fun job, and I must say I would do impeccably well, I am not the King of the World....I'm not even the ruler of my own life! So whether the issue is corduroy pants or lettuce...we should strive to be a little less self-centered, and a little more Jesus-centered.