What does the accumulation of supposedly righteous actions get you if it becomes your only pursuit in life? Filthy rags. That is what the bible says anyway, but it also seems to be a through point in humanity. Why do people needlessly acquire? Sometimes it is mental illness. But then there those that spend for the sake of "living", so that they do not miss out on the next big consumer orgasm. "Oh yeah, just look at the size of that deal", screams uncle Jim Bob the third, "It just don't get no bigger than that!" The hunt for junk has an almost sexual appeal. You can stuff your house with the biggest items you can have, in any and every compartment you desire. Hell, they will even sell you the compartments to put the deals in. Talk about a consumer orgy on an almost Caligula like scale. Why do people buy these things? What is the point? We have all heard of people talk about the accumulation of needless items being a problem. People chant that like they chant that they want the world to be a better place. It blends in to conversations about the weather or grocery shopping, no one is really listening, but everyone is talking as loud as they can to make some silly point. These massive acquisitions will ultimately serve little to no purpose. I recently watch an avid collector who had fallen into massive debt on a documentary about hoarding. He kept his items immaculate and tried to sell some of his priceless possessions at auction so he could pay off his $750,000 dollar debt, which he had accumulated because of his non stop shopping sprees. At the end of the day, after selling his "authentic" model space ship and "one of a kind" boots worn by Elvis, among countless other collectibles (he had rooms filled with this stuff), he came away with a grand total of $30,000. But, hey, at least he lived life to the fullest, right? I mean, he chose his own path and that is what really matters in the end. You know what I mean? Hopefully, you do not know what I mean. Hopefully, you are saying, "holy shit, that dude blew of his money on junk and didn't even get paid for it?" Because that is what your reaction should be, not some lovey dovey haiku about living life to the fullest. That is for teenagers, who, ironically enough, have parents to support them through their various foolish escapades. We are adults; we must behave in a manner that is advantageous to whatever situation we find ourselves in, and blowing all your hard earned cash junk that will just clutter the house is, well, stupid. Please do not be stupid. Please think before you buy things. I am not saying to only buy things that you need, that is up to you. But do not acquire junk only to throw it out later. But there is more to this episode than a rebuke on meaningless possessions. I also delve into the mindset of people who treat others as if they are less than them. People who see themselves as important to various movements often lash out at those they see as a threat to that movement. This is really what Jesus meant when he used the term filthy rags. He was referring to self righteousness, the tendency that humans have to rant about how wonderful and righteous they are. In the bible story, people brag about their good deeds, but fail to give reverence to god's chosen, the poor. Let us remember that Christianity is supposed to revere the poor. Many modern Christians have forgotten that. Jesus respected the poor. He cleaned them and tried his best to heal them. He fed them as well and also lived amongst them. This is almost unheard of in many of the modern social movements. Instead there is a reverence for the rich, the successful, the philanthropic, the well dressed, the show stoppers, the best of the best, the cream of the crop, the nicest, the sweetest, the kindest, the most loving filthy rags. All group banter is to me is filthy rags. It is the individual I care about. A person with a free mind does not desire approval from such groups. They simply observe and react.