Are you a consumer, or a creator?

Reading my blog roll this morning got me thinking about something important.  To the food companies, and the government, we are all just "consumers".  We buy whatever they put on the shelves, whatever they tell us we need to spend our money on.  New cars, huge houses, gadgets and gizmos that are outdated a week after we purchase them.  Buy this, buy that, work 80 hours a week so you can buy more of our products... after all, your neighbor has one... so don't you need one too?  My answer is a resounding NO!!!  Why should I spend every hard earned penny on pre-packaged crap and things that will break after only a few uses.  Why should I spend $50K on a new vehicle when my 11 year old truck is functional and already makes me happy?  Why should I trust a food company who just recalled a bunch of their "kid-friendly" meals because they are full of bits of wire, or feed my children from a package that has to shout out what is healthy about it, because when I look at the ingredients list, most of it I can't even pronounce, let alone know what it is?  Because my government tells me that spending all my money on this crap is the "American Way"? NO!!!  NO NO NO!!!

I refuse to be defined as a "Consumer" any longer.  I am a creator!  I created a beautiful, bountiful garden where there was just a pile of large rocks.  I create the most beautiful garden soil by being conscious of my waste around the house and yard.  I grow amazing tasting vegetables that have no unpronounceable ingredient lists.  I can create cheese, butter, beautiful jams and jellies, sew a $50 curtain from $5 worth of material, crochet a warm blanket for my children from the scrap yarns that were given to me, knit scarves and hats and gloves, bake rustic loaves of bread, build most of the garden tools I need... the list just goes on and on!  I am limited in my creations only by my own imagination, and for the government to tell me that I am an irresponsible citizen for not going out to spend spend spend is simply assinine.

If the price of consumables skyrockets, (ha... "if".  Its happening right now, folks), I will be ok.  I'm not 100% self sufficient, but between me and my family, we can mostly take care of ourselves if it is required.  I have neighbors that I can count on to lend a hand, even though we all mostly keep to ourselves in our day to day lives.  I live in a small community which chooses to self fund their projects through raffles, community donations, and volunteers, (most recently a sports arena/hockey rink,) rather than asking the government for money.  I am a creator, and I choose to create a healthy, happy, anti-consumerist life for myself and my family.  And guess what... you can be a creator too!  There are people out there that will help you, teach you, guide you.  Its not as hard as the big corporations who want your money would like you to believe!  Reach out... try it... you can make it happen!  Your bank account and your quality of life will thank you!