Consumer culture proclaims that happiness is having things and doing things. The advertising industry has from the dawn of its existence parked its considerable haunches on this belief. But having things and doing things is the opposite of happiness. True happiness has no reason.
Ideally, we would not have ideals. The idealized self is a false god, a source of suffering. ‘Oh, look what I should be.’ Wherever should is, conflict also is. Conflict consumes energy. Energy is love, and conflict devours it, leaves a husk to walk around saying, “I’m fine, thank you.”
Advertisers are idealists—as, for the most part, are politicians.
Taken to its loveless extreme, idealism is patriotism. And then it is war.
Men's Work 