What exactly do I mean by “trapped?” Well, for me, being trapped means that I no longer have many choices in how I live my life. I am caught up in a so-called “successful” lifestyle which consists of hyper-consumption, keep up with the Joneses, and chase that new promotion existence.

Much of the pressure to maintain this level of “success” comes from family, friends, neighbors, and society in general. It was established long ago that the measure of a person is in what they do for a living. After all, what is the first question many of us ask about someone we don’t know? Exactly! “What do you do?” As in, what do you do to make a living? This is so entrenched into our society that many of us probably don’t even realize we do it.

People are rated on the spot by what they do. For many it gets to be a competition, especially amongst our siblings. I can tell you that anytime my family gets together, most of the talk is about how successful each person has become.

One disturbing trend which seems to be more evident these days is the “keep up with the Joneses” syndrome. More and more, we tend to rate people by what they have. We have become consumed by the consumer lifestyle.

It’s now common for most families in my neighborhood to have at least two cars. Many have boats, big-screen TV’s, 3000 square foot homes (all with central air), and the list goes on… Why do people need this? Do we really need houses that large? Do we need 60″ TV’s? Do we really need all those extra toys?

We had a record breaking amount of smog warnings this summer. Most of this is generated from coal-burning electrical plants and automobile exhaust. Can’t we understand that as the population increases, we should be conserving more, not spending our resources like a drunken sailor? Larger homes require more energy to heat and cool. More cars per household will be more cars on the road carrying only a single person and adding to our problems.

We don’t seem to care though. We will continue to burn through this planet’s reserves at record levels all in the name of improving our lifestyle. What other species takes so much more than it needs, all in the name of comfort?

What price do we pay for all the frills? Well, for me, each dollar I spend for things I don’t really need, is a dollar away from my ultimate goal, which is having choices and enjoying freedom.

I have come to realize that for each non-essential item I purchase, I must remain within the system that much longer. It equals more hours at work, more interest paid to the bank, more taxes paid to the government – and a deeper hole. It represents less money for investing and achieving a foot-hold to dig myself out.

I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but could you imagine a better way to keep the masses in check? This ensures that each and every one of us will get up in the morning, go to work, pay bills and taxes, and contribute towards the economy, even if we hate what we do. That’s the end of my extremism, I promise.

The Joneses live just down the street from us. It’s not hard to pick out their house. It’s larger than all of the other homes. There are two high-end, late-model cars in the driveway; not to mention the motor home and boat parked along the side. I really must admit that their home has great curb appeal. It’s been the envy of the neighborhood for years. It’s a perfect example of what a typical, middle-class family should strive towards.

Over the years they showed the whole block just how much better life could be with a few “do-dads” thrown in. They were very gracious hosts and invited many of us over to their home for an occasional dinner party or barbeque. I always left feeling somewhat inadequate and secretly wished that we had the same luxuries. Everyone on the block envied them for what they had.

Life sure was different before the Joneses moved in. For example: we were all a one car family back then. We only had the basics and never really wanted much more than that. We had no credit card debt and even managed to save a few dollars each month. However, we did not have the luxuries we have today.

Shortly after the Joneses came to town, our neighborhood started to change. It started when Frank next door bought a wide-screen TV. It was a real beauty. In fact, I believe it might have been better than the unit Mr. Jones had in his rec-room. Fred and Nancy across the street suddenly turned around and bought a massive boat. It was very large, however, and eventually Fred had to dock it down at the marina.

Yes, the competition started a few years ago and the neighborhood has never been the same. We also got caught up in the frenzy. It seemed that everything was a competition. Everything from the clothes our kids wore, to the latest toys for the parents, to our vacation destinations; it was all just one big competition. Personally, I never really got any pleasure from having something better than everyone else. The only thing I could think about was our declining savings account and increasing debt load.

The strange thing about all of this is that the Joneses always seemed to eventually have the latest and greatest. It was at that time that I realized that I could not compete against them. They did, after all, earn more than we did.

I really wanted things to go back to the way they were; simple living. Buying the basics and being satisfied with that. In my opinion, life was a little more enjoyable back then. We spent time as a family and found ways to enjoy time together without spending a fortune.

Obviously, this story is fictional. However, as exaggerated as it may be, it is very close to the kind of lifestyle I have been living for the last little while. Life just seems to be one big competition.

Our weekends are usually spent attending or hosting some sort of get-together; expensive food, alcohol, and listening to the latest superficial drivel. “We just bought that new (insert meaningless, mindless, token object here).” Or “have you ever been to (insert latest trendy, overpriced and overrated destination here)?” It’s always the same. In fact, it’s getting very hard to have any sort of intellectual conversation with anyone. Intelligent conversation is out and meaningless, superficial bragging is in. How the times have changed.

The whole lifestyle is wearing just a bit thin. Most of my friends and neighbors are overweight. This includes me (I’m about 80lbs overweight). I gained most of that in the last few years. Living the “good” life is hazardous to your health. Additionally, I think I may have a drinking problem, and much of this I attribute to the “socializing” type of lifestyle we lead.

Add to that, the fact that I exercise very little (I have a 4 hour commute where I am forced to sit on my ass in grid-lock traffic) and it’s no wonder I have started having health problems (high cholesterol, high blood pressure and stomach ulcers). This is really no excuse. I could really find time to exercise if I wanted to.

Is this all there is to life? Trading my most precious time to some faceless corporation so that I have money to go ahead and kill myself on the weekend. Something has to change, and soon. I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.

I have, therefore, devised a plan to change my life. It’s very radical and I’m sure things will never be the same again. It will require that I give up most of what I have today and most of what I consider normal and comforting. But it must be done.

So the Joneses can stick their high-consumption life-style. They can stick their phony parties, back-stabbing and overindulgent ways; and they can stick their high-debt, one-upmanship, materialistic crap. I’ve had enough.

With the recent events in the gulf pushing gasoline prices into uncharted territory, one might think that people would start looking at ways to conserve. This certainly is not the case in my neck of the woods.

There are, in my opinion, just as many single-person vehicles on the road as ever. The major routes are just as congested as they have always been. What gives?

Well, it would seem that a person’s need to commute to work in the quiet comfort of their own personal space is somewhat stronger than the need to maintain their bottom line.

Yeah, people complain about it for a day or so, but then they’re right back to what is comfortable and familiar.

At this time last year, I would have thought that gasoline prices in the $1.40C/liter range would result in massive protests and a huge decrease of vehicles on the road.

I envisioned cars loaded with 3 or more persons, trains filled to capacity and gas stations sitting idle.

This just doesn’t seem to be the case. We are carrying on as if nothing is happening. I think many people are simply accepting this as the cost of independence on the road.

Does that mean the oil companies can increase gas prices by 2 or *shudder* 3 times the current price, without any hint of opposition?

Really, wouldn’t you think that the un-breathable air and the damage to the environment would be incentive enough? Nope, far from it. There is only one thing that most people truly understand: their wallets.

At what point will the commuter simply say, “Hold on, this is enough, I’m going to have to find a cheaper way?” I don’t know. But one thing is certain; we will likely see a change in the very near future. I would venture to guess that we are approaching the upper limit of what people will freely pay. After that, we may witness car pooling and public transit becoming viable alternatives.

Never underestimate the power of economics.