People seem to have a natural tendency to horde things. I'd imagine this is an expected result when you think about our history. At some point in human history, we decided to start collecting foods that we could store to use whenever we wanted or needed. Was it a function of biology to make this leap or was it a learned social process? Probably both, of course, and either way that tradition continues hundreds of generations later.

Modernity seems to be linked with consumerism. Most "developed" or "industrialized" nations get that description attached to them because of their infrastructure and their economic system. A developed society is one that buys and sells products. What a nation produces is intended, with a few exceptions, of being sold.

To properly lubricate this system, advertising was created to essentially give an "adrenaline shot" to people's "natural tendency" to horde and collect.

I wonder what the implications of this are.

It's not necessarily having too much, it's the idea that there is no limit to what I can have. It's not that I have too many things that are getting in the way and making my life chaotic, it's the increased difficulty in finding contentment with what I already have.

More is not necessarily better or even possible. This is an idea that people will one day be forced to come to terms with as natural resources reach their limit.

How will we tone down our "need" to have more and more of everything? How will we look at what we have and only add when there is a deficiency? When will we let go of the excess of our hordes and enjoy the bounty of everything else?