First World Problems

Quilted Northern Commercial: "It's time to get real about what happens in the bathroom. Stop all the cutesy stuff and start talking about what you really want from your toilet paper.......(In a very serious tone of voice) For myself, for my family- It keeps us clean"

Wow. People are dying all over the world from hunger and we need to get serious about what we want from our toilet paper? Is it me, or are we really missing something?

I know marketing is geared towards what society demands. I get that. We demand luxury. I’m not saying people should be uncomfortable in the bathroom either. Perhaps I’m on high alert after a recent discussion with friends about need vs. luxury. However, let’s face it, if “not soft enough” toilet paper is your most pressing issue in life, you are among the richest people in the world. 

I’ve seen some of the poorest of poor in the world.  I’ve even envied that something they have where they appear to “get” life better than I do. And I, being the one who lives a life where I have more than I need. Then again, I do live in a country where we “need” to get serious about toilet paper.  

The picture above is of a little boy I met a few years ago. He and his 4 other orphan brothers lived in a small shack by themselves. The stale food behind him is all they had to eat for the week. Soft toilet paper was not on the top of his list of needs. He represents millions of others lacking basic needs to survive. 

Perhaps we need to get serious about things that truly matter in life. Perhaps we need to spend less thought and money on toilet paper and more on others. Perhaps the finer things in life cannot be bought but experienced. Perhaps we should get real, and stop all the cutesy stuff and start talking about important things in life.  Why? For ourselves, for our families, and for others that are in true need.