On Hollywood: The Happiness of NOT Having Things. Kate Middleton vs. Paris Hilton

by @Laurakurk

“The consumption society has made us feel that happiness lies in having things, and has failed to teach us the happiness of not having things.”  {Elise Boulding}

Happy 2013!!!

As a nation, we all breathed a collective sigh of relief when we put 2012 in the books. That was a hard year, guys. Especially the last half of the year when we stared evil in the eyes more than once and lost precious lives.

I happen to be an optimist, though, especially when it comes to people and their intentions and dreams. And I’m feeling a groundswell of sorts that I hope takes hold.

I think, with the tragedies of late, that we WANT to take life more seriously, behave more responsibly, recognize that relationships matter. Call it wishful thinking, but if you follow trends on social media sites, you’ll see what I’m seeing.

We’re finally sort of disgusted with ourselves.

I laughed when I saw this come across my Facebook feed a few days ago—

“That awkward moment when you realize Kim Kardashian’s failed marriage could’ve paid your college tuition for 2,960 YEARS!!! /:( seriously!!”

It was a status update by Tabitha Burleson, a talented fifteen-year-old from Oklahoma. Tabitha has her head on straight and she said what every one of us is thinking.

She’s trying to raise money to travel to a third-world country so she can help build churches. In this economy, raising money for even the very best causes is difficult. People are strapped. And so when Tabitha looks around and sees excesses in Hollywood, she wants to scream.

I do, too.

Tabitha sums up her frustration with Hollywood this way:

“Celebrities are always wasting money on some idiotic thing. If they would put their money to something useful, they could bring us out of the recession, save children in Africa, build churches in Paris!”

What are they doing with their money?

via US Magazine

I did a quick search on celebrity Christmas gifts and found some shockers. Did you know Paris Hilton wanted a $300,000 car for Christmas? Yep. And she bought it for herself.

Hugh Laurie revealed his wish list to the Daily Mail–a Steinway concert grand piano, a Triumph 955i motorcycle, and a 30-foot yacht.

I found an entire article about the $20,000 necklace Blake Shelton had made for his wife Miranda Lambert. It contained the names of all twenty of her dogs.

“Yeah,” you say. “But it’s their money, not ours. Stop judging!” And you’re right. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be FRUSTRATED by their choices. Right?

Are there celebs who set good financial examples?

Let’s take a look at some celebs who are attempting to live more modestly. Huffington Post did a story a few months ago on some stars who’ve made financial decisions worth emulating.

Check these out—

• ZOOEY DESCHANEL saves 76% of her income and has zero debt. Her goal is to save more than she spends. (Try to refrain from sarcasm here. . . I know you’re thinking that when a person earns as much as she does, it’s easy to save more.)
• EVA LONGORIA grew up camping with her dad. He’d insist on taking NO food with them so he could teach Eva how to live off the land. She knows how to skin a deer, a pig, and a snake. Do you? (Yes, she spent $1.5 million on a wedding and the marriage only lasted a minute, but she also has a practical side. Maybe she’ll strike a balance.)
• SARAH JESSICA PARKER and her husband MATTHEW BRODERICK say they’re raising their children to know that no one is entitled to anything and we are each a part of a larger community. They dress their son in hand-me-downs from older nephews.
• LEONARDO DiCAPRIO flies commercial flights only. Be on the lookout if you’re on a coast-to-coast flight, you might sit next to him. (Do NOT say you’re king of the world.)

And, I have a favorite down-to-earth celebrity in mind. She’s kind of a super-celebrity of the royal variety. And she wins—

January’s Lola Award!

It’s KATE MIDDLETON, of course!

Look! She’s holding a plastic cup and picking her cuticle. Down-to-earth. Love her!

Kate is just . . . awesome, isn’t she? I like that she’s able to be down-to-earth in a situation that screams extravagance. How can you be royal and normal at the same time?

But it’s been widely reported that she does her own grocery shopping and that she’s worn the same outfit to more than one public event. What? Plus, she shops for her own clothes in department stores. I’m looking forward to seeing how she handles raising a royal little one. Here’s hoping she lets her child play in the mud and wear worn out jeans with patches in the knees.

Who are some of your favorite celebrities who seem to be down-to-earth? Who strike you as people who’d be just as happy NOT having things?

See you in February! We’ll talk about celebrity love, of course . . .

Love,

**Kate Middleton photo by shaidazedi, courtesy of flickr.com

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