[slfnflctd]

The wool over my eyes was pulled aside on this particular illusion a long time ago, thanks to a buddy taking me on a semi-spontaneous road trip for a few weeks (during one of my worst depressions) that ended with us living in another state we'd never been to. At one point we sold grilled cheese and veggie burritos at a less-than-formal festival to raise road funds and it was an amazing experience of connectedness with others. Most office workers looking for some time away would never even consider such a trip.

When you really drill down into the reasons for your average consumer behavior, a lot of it is being pushed around by weaponized stories without recognizing or being honest with ourselves about it. It's a multi-faceted problem, but is probably most obvious with 'vacationing' activity. Think about what the highest costs of a typical leisure trip are-- getting there/back, food, and lodging. Unless you have a really compelling reason to be there, it's hugely wasteful on those points alone.