Crisis of Faith

I've been discussing how sickened I am buy consumerism- how we are pushed by companies to consume consume consume!!! And buy as much as possible for the holidays. Don't miss this sale!!! On black Friday I spent $80 and SOMEONE had to call me out on it. Let's put things into perspective, shall we? The store I worked at made over $300,000 in sales (and still didn't make their day.) That is just one store, in one community. Can you imagine, with all the events going on that day through today (Cyber Monday), how much money one community made in sales? Staggering, isn't it?
We sure love our stuff. Yet there are a lot of things we complain about. Like giving and sharing and paying taxes, especially when those taxes go to helping those who are less fortunate. We have people sleeping in tents- if they're lucky- in the woods in Conroe, TX. I know exactly how bad the homeless problem is in this town and how very little help their is oit there to help people get back on their feet. Don't for one second think that these people are lazy or crazy bag ladies or drunken hobos like the media portrays them. They are like you and I, normal people falen on hard times. They spend their mornings at day labor hoping to get called out for manual labor- $50/day.
I was astounded when I saw our sales for Black Friday. Can you imagine how much money could be raised to help a community if a charity fundraising event had the same turn out as Black Friday and everyone donated $20?! Let me tell you, people spent hundreds of dollars, thousands of dollars to fill their homes and lives with things. Ridiculous things.
I think of Michael Jackson's Man in the Mirror while I write this. When was the last time I donated to charity? The one Sevenly shirt I bought for Tessa? I am having a crisis of faith. My job is meaningless and I sell meaningless junk to people with wallets full of credit cards. I am promoting greed with every transaction so I can have money to buy presents for my family??? I've gotten then shoes, socks, underwear and clothes. But I still want to get them toys and electronics and candy just to see them happy.
I need to change my ways. I need to make a change and soon, in my heart and my mind, before it drives me insane.