If we are unable to cope without the luxuries in life - free air, good quality locally produced food sold at a reasonable price, which includes good quality for the animals we eat as carnivores too, then we will have to seek out more economic ways to live.

We do not need a yacht to enjoy the simple pleasures of live - the views of the ocean are there for all of us.

Unfortunately, having seen how little it takes to shift our focus away from necessities to creating myths of wealth by selling products which have little in the way of health about them but are about how one looks, we are currently on a quest of keeping young, keeping alive past our sell by dates, & completely off course.

Life has always been a difficult mix of hard work, physical toil & trying to live at peace with oneself & with ones neighbours as best we can. In our pursuit for endlessly timewasting ideas of keeping busy all the time, we have too much time on our hands but all used to keep the economy going - buy, buy, buy - surely the resources of this earth are only there for a certain time & it surely is closer to being all used up? We are not able to deal with tough times because we buy the philosophy that we all are worth it.

My work mate comes to work dripping in diamonds & I personally made a decision sometime ago that the few pieces of jewellery of any worth I own can go to my children for keep sake when I am not around, but wear absolutely no jewellery of any kind because I do not agree with how it has been produced, how those who risk their lives to get the bloody things out are never the beneficiaries of the product but Anglo-american or De Beers, who already have enough to buy the world twice over & still have change left over to finance the yacht without which their lives would have little or no meaning for them.

We do not need a home in every town, or a palace in all the main centres - the church owns so much of property that is ill used but this wealth will never be shared by those who do not worship at the altars for false deities. While Pakistan is facing yet another drama after the rainy season, no doubt the elders will be building more mosques, while the people rely on foreign aid to get even one meal a day.

It is sickening to see how children are dying of starvation, while we are bloating ourselves to death with obesity, diabetes, & heart disease. Surely, we are unable to see for the fat obscuring our view!

I try explaining to my son that I really cannot afford to go out to eat, so I don't or that I cannot any longer afford to pay exhorbitant prices for tickets to concerts where I am not allowed to smoke in case my smoke harms someone, or that I am not entertaining because I have to watch the pennies, you would imagine that I would be as miserable as Job but no.

I applied & got a job out of the rat race, at work within 1 hour of leaving home, & walk through a park where I can hear the birds sing & chirp & feel grateful that I can enjoy these little things that cost nothing.

We have been caught up with the world of consumerism where despite eating ourselves to death, we also want the latest in gastric banding costing huge amounts of money but don't worry, your surgeons are campaigning even as we speak, so that this surgery requiring anaesthesia & all the risks that entails, will be available for all who chose to eat their way to hell.

In the meantime, we have children starving to death despite the billions being reportedly given in charity - dictators are not interested in dealing with poverty, more with growing their own personal wealth.

You want to find a good home for your philanthropic money? Try www.CED.org.uk. Whole new water systems to provide water for 1000's of rural people at a fraction of the cost for the West. See the recently completed Pawaga scheme bringing water to 16,000 people with the money flowing through local partners not goverments etc.

I completely accept that I cannot do anything about starving children the world over but also believe that any charitable donations are not well spent - firstly, the money is spent in the country of origin providing jobs & comfort for people in the country where the charity is set up, for which they are able to get away with no contribution in taxes - the people who the donation is supposed to help see very little of the millions donated on their behalf - it is just a big business these days & I for one do not feel my contribution would actually support anyone overseas!

Unfortunately, we live in a world gone mad - can anyone explain how people are paid millions for a job undone or done badly? How can we pay footballers millions of pounds, & yet football clubs regularly go into administration?

How come we are seeing pay scales as never before, in areas which have been completely bankrupted by the million pound bonus culture - we have the BOE promising more money for these people, yet we know the ordinary taxpayer is facing even more cuts in our disposable incomes while the super rich are able to get away with tax avoidance by schemes set up with them in mind so that with the skilful use of their accountants, they can actually benefit from investing in the UK, but can also not contribute in taxation because they have special status - do you not believe that there is an underlying sickness in this kind of society which allows only the super rich to benefit while the rest are driven to ekeing out a living, just existing?

Rose G

I think what your are referring to is about is a corruption of morals, values & responsibility, also because of all the spin there is very little credibility about .

cheers