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Priestley, J B - Margin Released - We change its quality from within ourselves
Identifier
023802
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
A description of the experience
J B Priestley - Margin Released
There are many parts of the world, far too many, where a square meal is a marvel; to people who have nothing a little of anything can seem a shining bonus; but when we have reached the level of living most of us know in the West, we should tell ourselves, defying the advertisers, that nobody is having the wonderful time we are encouraged to imagine. Even to those smiling couples for ever being served cocktails and canapes by air hostesses, life is just going on. We change its quality from within ourselves, not by going somewhere and buying something. But now we spend billions encouraging illusions and stoking up envy, and most of them would be better spent providing a square meal and a whole shirt on some other continent where want is real and needs no advertisement.