How we got here

In Seth Godin's Linchpin Session he basically lays out how we got stuck in our current rut:

1. First, we invented machines, which had the potential to make the owner very wealthy
2. We then had to invent jobs, so we had someone to operate the machines. People didn't like the idea, so they were given gin from morning till evening every day of the week for 30 years to sweeten the deal
3. Then we invented buying stuff. Stuff you don't really need. You buy it because others have it. This way we could get people to buy the stuff we made with the machines, while also giving them a reason to have a job, so they'll operate the machines
4. Then we invented debt, so you can buy stuff even if you don't have money, and so that now you need to keep having a job, just so you won't lose the stuff you already have
5. And finally we invented school, where we sap all the genious and creativity out of our kids and train them to be compliant, so they'll be good at operating the machines.

There's clearly something wrong with how our world is operating today. People feel stuck in a rut of making money. The need to make money is the easiest excuse not to figure out why you were put on this earth and then go do that. It's the trump card of excuses. Don't let it be yours.