Keeping up with the Joneses is just about the stupidest thing ever.
It is literally buying things you either don’t want or can’t afford because you don’t want to look “lower” than someone else.
It’s nothing but insecurity.
Now I know what you are thinking.
You don’t buy X, Y, and Z to impress people. You buy it because you say you want to. It makes you happy, or “brings you joy.”
Baloney.
A coveted purchase will make you happy for a few weeks tops. After that you are on to the next thing, aren’t you? Have you not figured this out by now?
Enough with the stuff.
Relationships are all that matter.
Before too long, the most important part of Christmas was at hand. My dad was asleep in the recliner, mom was at in the kitchen, and I was now free to compare loot with my friends. This ritual, practiced by every kid since time began, was a large part of our growing up process. Seven years old seems a little early to be concerned with “keeping up with the Joneses,” but that’s exactly what we did.
-Andy Andrews, Socks For Christmas
