As a form of uneffective protest or maybe just boredom, I have been searching for an alternative way. Actually, that should be Way with a capital wuh, as we're talking philosophy and religion now, and as I sit here I imagine the droves that log off at the mere thought of my burbling on about one of the two things one should never discuss at parties or with hairdressers.
Well, I don't mean any harm by this, nor am I about to order the Extremist's Handbook onTotal World Domination or How To Convert Your Friends With Only A Little Social Discomfort (check on Amazon, there's bound to be something there...)
No, I'm just curious. The world that I have always known is western (yee-haw) and capitalist in nature, so I want to know more. To this end, I've been looking into Taoism. Took me a while to home in on this one, but there was something about the sheer inpenetrability that drew me.
Or possibly a BBC programme on it that interested me. Not sure now, but here I am.
The main thing that leapt out at me was this excerpt:

Always without desire we must be found,
If its deep mystery we would sound;
But if desire always within us be,
Its outer fringe is all that we shall see.

Now, if desire and the need to get more and more and more of what little we imagine is going to make us happy has brought us to this sorry economic time, then there's definitely a lesson here.
I shall read more and let y'all know.
If you fancy finding out more, check this out:

http://www.sacred-texts.com/tao/index.htm