You are probably right. I think that people are working hard to acquire "things" that they don't really want and then are in fear of loosing their jobs and loosing their "stuff". It is a sickness that I've seen everywhere I've traveled especially in Japan and S. Korea. My personal take is that if we focus on what we want to do rather than on what we think we want we will be much happier.
My Blog A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. - -Lazarus Long