Status Anxiety

I'm really enjoying reading Status Anxiety by Alain de Botton. De Botton presents the causes of and solutions to the anxiety inevitably caused by comparing ourselves with our peers. The whole concept is very interesting, and it rings true; check out the Wikipedia article for a precis. I highly recommend the book, and you can watch video excerpts from the television special on de Botton's site.

[Edit 6/22/07] This article in the Seattle Times is really kind of sad, but it made me think about the theory that the rich support our economy with their lavish spending on non-essential items. Very thought provoking.