A "Choice" Life

Every day we go through our normal routines, basically oblivious to anything that is not in the direct path of the task at hand. And then every once in awhile, something catches our eye and jumps out from the ordinary background noise and makes us stop and think.

Today a goofy little thing did that to me.

I went in to the local mega-supermarket to just get a few things including some Saltine crackers. I went down the aisle directed by the sign, and the little thing I took notice of is that there were seven different kinds of Saltine crackers! Seven! We're talking simple crackers here folks, but now apparently we might need a low fat, or maybe lite salt, or maybe extra crunchy, etc.....I mean it's ridiculous!

Now this is not the first time I've been in one of our modern-day markets and noticed the obscene amount of choices we are given for almost every product. The excessive amount of different brands is only part of the craziness. But when you then multiple that by having five, six or even seven variants within a brand, like a shampoo, spaghetti sauce or now, apparently, a simple Saltine cracker, well isn't it just a little over-the-top?!! Is this one important way that define "quality of life" these days?

Somewhere at the cracker headquarters, some marketing genius, has evidently convinced his team that seven varieties is what we need; what we want. "It will increase sales dramatically", is what I'm sure he told them. For all I know, maybe it does. But somewhere back in my brain, which recalls a day when there was only one Saltine, one type of Shampoo (as long as you didn't have dandruff!), and one flavor of Hunt's spaghetti sauce, weren't we more that just fine with that? You can actually still find that in some small-town grocer's. God help us if we'd ever have to live that way again someday. Can you imagine the whining?

And anyway, what's wrong with this whole idea of having any possible preference fulfilled? Every little want instantly available to us? Does it really do us any harm? Probably not if it stopped at Saltines. But life today, especially in our society, carries this same notion into many other things, often including what we expect of each other. From that aspect, I not sure of that quality of life thing at all.

Sorry for this silly little blog. See what can happen when one of those little crazy thoughts jump out at you?

Oh, by the way; I bought the "original" variety Saltines. Are you surprised? You're probably not. But no biggie; I'll just have the "low sodium" soup with them.....but should it be regular or "chunky"?? Ahhh....life is good!