You say recession, I say opportunity to live healthy

There is an optimistic refrain spiraling around: Maybe this financial comeuppance will teach Americans a valuable lesson about living healthier, smarter and within our means.

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My minor addiction to computer gadgets notwithstanding, I've always wondered about Americans' compulsion to have the latest, most expensive toys -- that subsequently end up in a landfill a year later, when we bore of them and newer versions come out. We seem to be incapable of resisting the marketing and advertising with which we are surrounded.

The big downside of our economic prosperity of the late early '90s was that it allowed us to overindulge, consume and spend. We Americans are a victim of our own success. Because of our relative wealth, we are now overweight, overmedicated, unable to relax and lacking attention spans. As has been said before, perhaps $5-a-gallon gas isn't such a bad thing.

Current mood: Optimistic