I'm in the middle of reading "Conspiracy of Fools" by Kurt Eichenwald about the Enron scandal. The overwhelming thought I keep coming back to is how the world (America in particular) is so obsessed with how things look on the surface, with Enron being the epitome.
Enron was propped up to look like a powerhouse, with almost unprecedented financials. The world bought into it, with Fortune naming Enron the most innovative company in America for 6 straight years...yeesh. Isn't anyone digging below the surface?
This got me thinking about our society, which is about having the biggest house, the fastest car, the fanciest clothes, etc. Then, I read another article about how Americans are in a bad place with regards to debt, especially credit card debt. This tells me that we are willing to put our financial future on the line to look good now, which is shaky logic in any circumstance (and really similar to the tricks Enron was trying to pull on a corporate level).
It's time peeps start bucking the pressures of society and do what's best for their future...it's time to stop keeping up with the Joneses.
