While there are times for being alone, the true state of people is in community, doing things. From humankind's earliest days around the fire, we have continued to benefit from the joys and strengths of being and building together.

Listen to the CBC Ideas show, Left Behind.

While we all need close friends and cohesive project teams, we also need perspective, diversity and resources to succeed. Spending too much time with just one group stifles both us and the group. Taken far enough, we can come to believe that our group is the only one with merit and the right thinking.

One of the danger signs for a group, and for society, is when some members become very successful or wealthy, and begin to withdraw from the wider community — limiting access to their skills and removing the shared assets that the group provided. This is at the crux of both the Occupy movement and the global difficulties we are experiencing today.

In the post-war economic boom of the 1940s to 1960s, there was widespread and eager participation by many types of people — sharing the possibilities and empowerment that working together brings. There was not just economic growth, but the actual improvement of people's lives. Working folks worked hard, creative people designed new things, and rich people contributed through taxes, networking and building. It was a great era of shared efforts and benefits, involving a group that was wonderfully large and inclusive.

Unfortunately, the rise of the stock market and the allure of a free market ended these shared efforts and benefits. It became possible for wealthy people to become wealthier, this time without sharing the benefits. The reduction in taxes for the wealthy in recent years has further split our formerly cooperative country — it has dried up the funds needed for new improvement and research, and made it extremely difficult for the wealthy to care about or be committed to the wider community. Working folks, enthused at first by the post-war improvements, and now just fearful for their livelihoods, have been cast adrift from the shared participation of those with the money to change the world again.

We have become a society of "us and them", principally due to greed and fear no longer being balanced by shared purpose and community. With special financial mechanisms now solidly in place, the wealthy have lost the need to participate in the greater community. There's been a world-wide disconnect in the money stream, isolating the workers from the investors.

And that is sad. Because while it's probably great to have fancy food every day and to jet about, I think that the people who worked together in the post-war period had a better life. They had shared goals and exciting dreams, and they knew that their efforts were helping more than just themselves. They understood the joy of moving forward together. Today's wealthy people seem to have forgotten how invigorating and worthwhile good projects are, and no longer recognize how financial growth isn't the same as improving lives locally, nationally and around the globe.

A few of the wealthy and powerful recognize the need for a change. At the recent Davos World Economic Forum conference, the CEO of accounting giant Deloitte, Joe Echevarria, talked about developing "compassionate capitalism." Similarly, Irish billionaire Denis O’Brien says “Corporations need to engage in giving a chunk of their profits to social issues." So there is a seed of awareness about the growing inequality.

Much of the world's wealth is unused, shuffling around in virtual piles, as wealthy people wait for something good that they can invest in and be part of.

But actually, those opportunities are here already — in every corner of our world — ready to be invested in again. The opportunities are here — embodied by the universal understanding that people shouldn't be hungry, sick or denied the dignity of good work when there is more than enough of everything — we are stuck en route to a better future.

There are calls to create a new model for the future, but maybe what's needed is for us to return to the sensible ways that have helped us before — with taxes, benefits and a shared commitment for all.

Let's remember what real community is, how fulfilling our roles with courage brings dignity, and embrace the joy of building things again, together.

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We are all part of our society – benefitting and struggling within the system we share. We might think of ourselves as isolated from the rest of the world, but our lives are entwined – connected to the world through our supply chain of food and materials, and to people around the world through our relationships and shared goals.

As powerful and important as any one person might be, they are supported by the efforts of others.

As humble and unknown as any of us might feel, we live together within the world, and our existence affects the world.

No matter where we are now, no matter what we or others know of our real potential, we all want a better future, and can help to create a better future – for ourselves, for our family, for our friends, for our community, and for our world.

A future where:

- We can each use our real skills and abilities, which might be different from those we use to live right now.
- There is a role for each of us that is valued and appreciated.
- There are more smiles and hugs.
- Everyone is safe, fed, clothed and healthy.
- Caring is recognized as both vital and possible, because we work on things we care about, with and for people we care about.
- Happiness is not marketed as being dependent on money or stuff.
- We can afford to be less greedy because we have things that mean more to us than stuff and money.
- There is more fun, more music and more treasured moments.
- We feel hope and optimism, because good things are happening around us and include us.
- We rediscover, every day, that people matter most, and we are included.

There are many bubbles of awareness popping up in our society. People are becoming dissatisfied by the short-term happiness of owning more stuff, and disillusioned by frequent economic problems. People who want to work can't find jobs, and people see important things – like freedom and a healthy planet – being disrespected and abused. Generations of people have been cajoled and bullied into thinking that our current type of economy and life style is the only possible way, and it's wearing down hard-working, good-hearted folks.

It's not just the Occupy movement that is expressing this – there are discussions within companies and coffee shops, at the kitchen table and amongst friends. Entire countries are being pushed past their financial abilities and reaching economic meltdown. People are questioning what is going on in their lives and in our world. It's a wide-spread feeling of yearning and discontent that flat screen TVs and shopping can no longer suppress.

No-one knows quite what to do about it. Yet. And that's okay.

Some of the best things take the longest, and take the greatest number of people to make it happen. There are a lot of people who want things to be better, who are starting to see the possibilities of a better future, and who recognize the power of being kind and trying hard. Like bubbles in water they are rising and merging to bring a breath of fresh air and hope.

There might be a lot of things to set right in our world, but there are a lot of people to get things done. Big changes can happen when many people make small changes – changes that actually make our lives better – that benefit everyone, even people who currently think that money is the key to happiness.

We can do it, together. Bubble by bubble.

Keep reminding yourself (and those around you) that happiness is not based on what money can buy for us, but on what our lives become when we're focused on sharing community, health, music and peace. Helping others is a great source of joy and progress, so find ways to make a difference in your life and neighborhood.

There is a paradigm shift going on, with changes happening in our attitudes and outlook. It is like when people learned that the Sun is the center of our solar system, not the Earth. Except this time it is people figuring out that people need to be the center of our lives, not money.

You can help change the world, a bit at a time. Start being a bubble of hope and caring. Spread the word: people matter. Let's see how changing things a bit today can help us all occupy a better future.

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In her cheerful yet poignant song, Price Tag, Jessie J helps shine some light on our society's obsession with money. In an age of endless encouragement to buy things, it is refreshing to hear a musical artist reminding us there are simpler, priceless aspects of life.

Teaming up with American rapper B.o.B. and producer Dr Luke, Jessie J sings about the importance of truth, music and life.

Some of Jessie J's understanding comes from her own life, being diagnosed with a heart defect at the age of 11 and suffering a stroke at 18. She's experienced earlier than most the "life-is-hard" lesson, and uses that to help us do our own exploring about what is really important in life – about things more priceless than money.

[Here's an alternate video of Price Tag on YouTube by Trojan Lazo, with some good interpretive images.]

While her lyrics "It's not about the money / Forget about the price tag" are powerful, they are perfect dark mirrors of what we really need to keep in mind:

1) That for almost everyone in western culture, too much of life *is* about money, stuff, and our own needs, and
2) We need to see the bigger, long-range price tag of our excessive consumerism, including:

• Unmanageable personal, business and national debt, which cause us to pay so much interest that we become long-term prisoners of previous purchases.
• Making decisions in our lives that focus on ourselves rather than others, robbing us of the joys of community, sharing and helping others.
• Polluting our wonderful planet, encouraging companies to make things we don't need, and people discarding useful things just to get a new thing.

Perhaps the most telling lyric of Jessie J's song is the revealing phrase: "Got your shades on your eyes". She's not just talking about expensive sunglasses.

The marketing machine works feverishly, every day, telling us what we "need" – what we should want – and trying to convince us that life just won't be good unless we own whatever thing, goo or food that they want to sell us.  We need to wake up, and be aware of how advertising is working against us.

The truth is that life can be good without a focus on money, and without owning so much stuff. In fact, life has always been better when it is about your friends, your family, and your community – when we've focused on trying hard, being kind, and sharing time.

Please do some thinking about the moments when you are really happy – like when you're sharing a laugh with friends – when you're figuring something out at work – when you've helped someone and they smile in thanks.

And when you stand in the blinding beacon of marketing, and you're being sold false joy – put on your sunglasses – and see through the advertising glare to the costs of caring too much about stuff. Don't forget about the price tag.

Rob Hueniken

"Price Tag"
(By Jessie J, featuring B.o.B)

[Jessie J]
Okay, Coconut man, Moon Heads and pea
You ready

Seems like everybody's got a price,
I wonder how they sleep at night.
When the sale comes first,
And the truth comes second,
Just stop for a minute and
Smile

Why is everybody so serious?
Acting so damn mysterious?
Got your shades on your eyes
And your heels so high
That you can't even have a good time

[Pre-chorus:]
Everybody look to their left (yeah)
Everybody look to their right (uh)
Can you feel that (yeah)
We're paying with love tonight

[Chorus:]
It's not about the money, money, money
We don't need your money, money, money
We just wanna make the world dance,
Forget about the price tag
Ain't about the (uh) Cha-Ching Cha-Ching
Ain't about the (yeah) Ba-Bling Ba-Bling
Wanna make the world dance,
Forget about the price tag.

[Jessie J]
We need to take it back in time,
When music made us all unite!
And it wasn't low blows and video hoes,
Am I the only one getting tired?

Why is everybody so obsessed?
Money can't buy us happiness
Can we all slow down and enjoy right now
Guarantee we'll be feeling alright

[Pre-chorus]

[Chorus]

[B.o.B]
Yeah yeah
Well, keep the price tag
And take the cash back
Just give me six strings and a half stack
And you can, can keep the cars
Leave me the garage
And all I, yes all I need
Are keys and guitars
And guess what, in 30 seconds
I'm leaving to Mars
Yeah we leaving across
These undefeatable odds
It's like this man
You can't put a price on a life
We do this for the love
So we fight and sacrifice
Every night
So we ain't gonna stumble and fall
Never
Waiting to see a sign of defeat
Uh uh
So we gonna keep everyone
Moving their feet
So bring back the beat
And then everyone sing

It's not about the money

[Chorus 2x]

[Jessie J ‒ Outro]
Yeah yeah
Oh-oh
Forget about the price tag

(Lyrics from azlyrics.com)

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We're a society that explores things, and we often have fun in the process. Some things cost a lot, some things are cheap, and some things seem to be free.

Tucked into many of the things we use and buy are transaction costs — little, hidden costs that are added on. Whether it's putting gas in the car (which results in taxes and pollution) or using a credit card (higher prices and interest fees), there are extra costs to our choices. Even surfing the Internet has costs, though most of them are hidden — tracking-cookies let corporations remember our choices, credit cards are stolen, and we can know more about a famous person than our neighbor. These costs might not stop us from doing these things, but they're part of the process.

The phrase "Nickel and diming" has its roots in the small coins we use. If you are being nickel and dimed then someone is continually charging you small amounts, and hoping those small charges don't scare you off. The trick is to keep you distracted enough, and interested enough, that you keep on paying rather than deciding to do something else.

The biggest new use of people's time revolves around screens of all types: TVs, computers, Playstations and phones. Entertainment is a focal point of many people's lives, and our screens are ways to both relax and stay informed. Certainly no previous generation can claim the widespread access to information and entertainment that we do.

But the downside of endless entertainment and information is that we are staying still — and this has unfortunate downsides for both our society, and for us personally.

The time we spend in front of our screens may be great for snack food companies, Hollywood and a quick laugh, but it's time lost from important pursuits, including relationships, health, and personal projects.

Long before there were Lady Gaga videos, friends have been sharing time, and their lives. While no family is perfect, and no friendship is easy, spending time in community and helping others are at the core of fulfilled lives. Sure, it can be fun to see what the stars are wearing, but real relationships and real smiles are what help us grow and bring us joy. If you're looking at a screen instead of the person next to you then from their perspective you're not really with them — you're just in the same room. Younger people tend to be more used to this, but that doesn't make it good. There are lots of things that people get used to that aren't good for us.

Lately we're hearing about the wave of Diabetes that is hitting both our society and people we know. Human bodies are amazing — able to withstand physical trauma and to heal from injuries. What our bodies aren't used to is endless sitting around and eating. We need our vertical time to feel good and to be healthy!

We also nickel and dime our time is by missing opportunities to grow and develop. It doesn't matter how many music videos we watch — *they* will not make us musicians or dancers or artists — only *we* can do that.

It's been said that our society has the greatest potential of any before it — with access to deep resources and many opportunities — but that virtually all of our creative and personal time is left unused.

There is great value in every life, and most definitely in your life. There are marvellous things you can learn, places you can visit, and people you can get to know. You can get fit, and feel the spring in your step. You can rediscover the wonder of nature and the joy of helping someone.

Let's see what is really in front of our eyes — it's not just a screen — but the steady erosion of our time, our potential and our future. Let's stop nickel and diming our lives.

We've watched things. Now, let's do things!

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A global music effort is underway by a diverse group of musicians and singers known as Playing For Change. Their videos, available on YouTube, are a wonderful collection of memorable songs played in very personal contributions from locations around the world.

The musicianship is outstanding, and the overall feeling is of shared truths and personal connection. Watching videos such as Redemption Song and Stand by Me made me feel connected and a part of the joy that music and community brings.

The amazing slide guitar work of Roberto Luti and olde tyme stylings of Grandpa Elliott are just a small slice of this delightful collection.

Redemption Song was the first music video I listened to by Playing For Change. I was struck by the careful and elegant combining of each musician, and by the words of Bob Marley's song.

The powerful lyrics can speak to almost everyone in North America and Europe, where instead of a slavery theme, the words can speak to a loss of minds and time to the wheels of commerce.

What will we forward to our next generation? Will it be a further focus on wealth and material goods? Will it be the joys of community, music and shared good works?  How will we redeem our generation and make the world better for the next?

Redemption Song lyrics

Old pirates, yes, they rob I
Sold I to the merchant ships
Minutes after they took I
From the bottomless pit
But my hand was made strong
By the hand of the almighty
We forward in this generation
Triumphantly
Won't you help to sing
These songs of freedom?
'Cause all I ever have
Redemption songs
Redemption songs
Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery
None but ourselves can free our minds
Have no fear for atomic energy
'Cause none of them can stop the time
How long shall they kill our prophets
While we stand aside and look? Ooh
Some say it's just a part of it
We've got to fullfil the book
Won't you help to sing
These songs of freedom?
'Cause all I ever have
Redemption songs
Redemption songs
Redemption songs
Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery
None but ourselves can free our mind
Woh, have no fear for atomic energy
'Cause none of them-a can-a stop-a the time
How long shall they kill our prophets
While we stand aside and look?
Yes, some say it's just a part of it
We've got to fullfill the book
Won't you help to sing
These songs of freedom?
'Cause all I ever had
Redemption songs
All I ever had
Redemption songs
These songs of freedom
Songs of freedom

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One of the most important milestones in a person's life is when we learn to walk. This usually happens around 14 months of age (not at "one year" as the round-things-off folks tend to say to worried young Moms). While crawling lets us move around the room a bit, it was only when we started to walk that the doors opened to the horizon and to our futures.

In our earliest days of walking we are always with our parents, as they show us the world nearby. Hand in hand, we are guided in safety. We get to see places that service our family's needs, such as grocery stores and gas stations; and we get to see entertainment venues, such as playgrounds and friend's homes.

But the first time we walk somewhere on our own is the real start of our journey of life. It is exciting! It is eye-opening. It gives us power — to be able to choose where to pause and where to look.

And as each of us learns, walking also requires care. When we walk we are choosing our destination, our direction, and even each step. Each of us has been en route, and wondered if we really should be going there. Each of us has paused en route, to make sure we are on the right road. And each of us has stepped on glass or stumbled on rough ground. Those are moments of being aware — that we are on the move, and needing to take care of ourselves.

Out on life's roads there are many opportunities and pitfalls, encouragements and distractions, friends and villains. We learn, through our own experience and others' good advice, to make progress.

For most of us, life has many journeys — some long and some short. Sometimes we complete them — to fanfare or with personal satisfaction; and sometimes we change our plan, or get forced off the road by events within or beyond our control.

What we learn is that we can't make progress without goals and determination. As Lewis Caroll, author of Alice in Wonderland, said: "If you don't know where you're going then any road will get you there."

It can be hard to know what to do with our lives. There are many choices, and our society douses us with competing demands and noisy voices, from the media and people in our lives. It can often seem easier to go with the crowd's ideas — to follow along. But we are all individuals, and unique, and our path through life must be the one for us.

I remember being in my second year of a Biology program, and all around me were excited students deciding to apply for medical school. It would have been easy for me to get wrapped up in that goal, and for a week or two I considered it. But after thinking about my own feelings of life as a doctor, with its long hours away from my family, I knew that path was not for me.

It was a classic example of the benefit that comes from calm, personal assessment and awareness. It helped me understand that we each need quiet time, to pause and consider.

We also know that life brings new situations, and those can lead to changes in our path and destination. Sometimes, when we are in the middle of a storm, it can be very hard to know where we are, let alone decide if we need to change directions or even start a new journey. This is when it helps to be honest with ourselves, aware of our feelings, and open to good counsel from someone who cares about us deeply.

Life can be better when we have both personal determination and a willingness to share our heart and feelings with trusted companions.

Sometimes we cannot see what others see, because we are wrapped up in our own thoughts, concerns and history. We might see a tangle of trees in our way, while someone else — with a different vantage point — can guide us to the edge of the forest.

Sometimes our path is solid and we need stay on track, while other times — particularly when we are hitting repeated roadblocks — we can help ourselves most by letting a caring person help us — to understand where we are right now, and to see if it's time for new choices.

For those who feel depressed or anxious about how their life is going, I offer two great encouragements:

1) There are people who can and will help you, if you let them. You probably already know who they are.
2) And a quote from the movie, Vanilla Sky: “Every second of your life is another chance to turn it around.”

No matter what mis-steps you've taken in the past, you can move forward with one good step.

As we wind along our crossing paths, the people we meet are all moving through their lives — on their journey to enlightenment and, hopefully, joy.

We are all travelers, moving through life, taking one step at a time.

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We see fire hydrants every day, fortunately not often in use. But there they stand, along our route and near our homes — silent, patient reminders of our shared commitment to safety and community.

The fire hydrant, or "fire plug", dates back to the 1600s, when fire crews would prepare a water source by digging deep into the ground to reach the water table. Afterwards, they covered the well with a plug, so that they were ready. When a fire broke out they'd remove the fire plug and use a bucket brigade — a human chain — to move the water to where it was needed.

Fire hydrants are a great example of how previous problems can lead to not only solutions but commitment to our shared success. While no-one wants to experience such trouble up close, knowing that there is a chance for relief and support can give us all confidence and security.

Recently I saw a truck with two new fire hydrants, on their way to being installed. Like much of the infrastructure we depend on, including our electrical supply, the strength of fire hydrants is hidden — supporting what is visible — built on the endless river of human experience, ingenuity and compassion.

While each of us has our own walk in life, it is good to know that our families, friends and community are there to help. We are each other's bucket brigade. We are the strength around us.

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Lost in the marketing maelstrom of our culture is an eternal truth: that life is hard and requires us to try hard. 

It doesn't matter how many songs we have on our iPod, how many friends we have on Facebook, or how many dollars we have in the bank — without an understanding of our personal commitment to making things work out it all eventually falls apart. Others can help keep things running for a while, but life requires our own determination and action.

This is not just about a person's career — trying hard is about all aspects of our lives, from jobs to helping others, from relationships to keeping our world safe and healthy.

With so few of us plowing fields or milking cows anymore, the illusion that life is easier now is easy to accept. We have medical facilities, cheap food and lots of fun ways to spend time. Surely that means we can take it easy — just try a bit, sometimes, when we feel like it, or when something is urgent.

This illusion is believed by many people, most of whom never had to milk a cow before dawn, every day, like it or not. In just two generations we have moved from experiencing the hard work of farming to treating food as just another thing we get to enjoy.

In the days of farming, people grew up understanding the direct connection between commitment, action and survival — not just for themselves, but for their family and community.

In an age where there are screens of every size pouring out entertainment, it can be easy to forget the immense web of work that is being done by others, partly on our behalf. We all benefit from the efforts of others, from the time we are babies through adulthood. Everything we have is, in one way or another, related to the efforts of someone else — someone working — someone trying — someone participating — someone sharing.

Both humanity's advancements and daily life are built on our shared efforts, mutual respect, and compassion — and that includes yours.

Most people are, indeed, working hard, and they understand and experience life's struggles every day. Whether through their upbringing, life lessons or circumstances, they know they have to keep at it — and there's no question that life is hard and takes hard work. 

A difficult moment in our lives is when we learn that trying doesn't guarantee success. Sometimes people try something once and fail, never to try it again. Sometimes people are working on things they aren't suited to, hit roadblocks, or have to deal with difficult people. 

There's are lots of reasons why things don't work out the way we imagined, but two things are sure:

- Minimal efforts are almost always unsuccessful.
- For life to become better we need to accept that life is hard and takes hard work.

The good news is when we try hard, we find more often that things work out — often because others see us trying hard and pitch in.

Making things better is something we need to do on our own, and together.
We can't do it all on our own, but each of us must do our part. 

Let's try hard!

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One of the main characteristics of our North American society is its focus on money and entertainment. Everywhere we look there are opportunities and offers of services, goods to buy, and recreation. Advertising blitzes us continuously, mostly portraying smiling, beautiful people sharing a good time and taking possession of something they really want. And if smiling, beautiful people can't sell us something then the marketing machine uses fear to convince us that we are missing out on something important or we're at risk. Either way, we have a society encouraged to want things, and to never be satisfied.

In advertising parlance, it's called "manufacturing desire" — making people want the next cool or interesting or "better" thing.  If someone else has it then we want it.

We have a society encouraged to covet. For those of you wondering where that fits into the traditional Christian play book, that is commandment #10. It's the last commandment on the list, perhaps because 3,000 years ago moral standards were different or there was less opportunity to break this commandment. But there it is, on the list.

In the old days people used the phrase "Keeping up with the Joneses". It was seen as a negative thing — a prideful, wasteful thing — to be competing with your neighbor, trying to have the better barbeque or the better car, when you already had something plenty good enough.

Nowadays, keeping up with the Joneses is our assumed way of life, with even kids feeling the pressure to own the "right" jeans or shoes or cell phone.  And for adults, the very personal and destructive coveting of someone else's life partner, aka adultery, continues to be on the rise. If someone else has it then it's okay that we want it, and why shouldn't we get it if we can? (Answer? #10)

Coveting things is entrenched in our way of life. Our manufacturing and entertainment systems depend on it. Even our governments depend on people wanting more, and use people's dissatisfaction against them — running lotteries, betting tracks and casinos to help pull in tax dollars.

So you won't hear the word "covet" spoken these days, even though it's what people are doing. Step by step, marketing pressures have convinced us that it's okay to covet. It's just "good business". And a bit of fun.

Not only does the word "covet" sound old-fashioned, it sounds anti-social to suggest that's what we're being encouraged to do.

The negative side effects of our constant coveting are many and diverse. By focusing mostly on acquiring things we have to work longer and harder to make more money. When we rest we don't pause and enjoy nature — we watch TV and get further promptings to buy things. We accumulate stuff and no longer think about repairing things — we throw stuff away and get a new one. We get something new and soon learn about a newer, better version. We are overworked and unsatisfied with what we already have (which is usually a lot). Our work environments and even our friendships can be challenged by our constant desire for more.

Fortunately, we live in an era where the flash of the new is being questioned by those wanting better use of our global resources and by those who think that a better life may have elements of a simpler life.

The solutions to coveting are to:

- Show restraint (by saying "No, thanks" or "I really don't need that.")
- Recognize how advertising tries to manipulate you ("See that ad? They're showing cool people loving that new phone.")
- Clarify your personal goals ("What do I really want in life?")
- Enjoy and explore the things you already have and the relationships in your life.
- Be happy for others (without wanting what they have), and
- Live within your means (because less stuff means fewer bills and more time to relax and pursue your passions).

In an era of "retro", I encourage you to step back from the spinning wheel of much-ness, and to rediscover the common sense of commandment #10, and the freedom, focus and personal satisfaction that it brings.

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