Truly meditate on the idea

I think as anti-consumerism becomes more fashionable, those who are less inclined to think critically about their lifestyle choices will perhaps adopt a less consumer driven lifestyle if it means they gain social status. The problem there is that a fashion trend usually emerges out of a number of individuals' perception of being unique. People still outwardly despise doing something because everyone else is doing it. How can we instigate radical change amongst the general public if the most powerful force we have available to us self-destructs as soon as large numbers of people have been convinced?

When will it become cool to work together? When will it become cool to care?

In Japan it seems this self-destruct mechanism takes much much longer to come into effect - I have never before seen such joyous displays of the thousandth identical Hello Kitty pencil case. Japan also has the most astoundingly organised and effective ethos of group cooperation I have ever experienced - the group is always more important than the individual. The group ego outweighs the individual ego. Consequently, Japan may be seen as a country with a towering ego - one big collective mind contemplating itself. This, in turn, affects Japan's ability to associate and cooperate with the rest of the world - a meta version of the problem seen in a lot of Western communities. I believe this powerful force of group cooperation is trapped inside a country with such a profound sense of its own identity that it is blinded to the ability it has to instigate radical change in our global society. I'm sure this group phenomenon is found in other countries as well - but certainly not enough to be considered common knowledge. And now Japan is feeding out its best bits - the manga/anime and the kooky gadgets, for fear that we won't accept its true nature (as most egotists do). Perhaps this is the beginning of the uprising of the group mind. Japanese culture is sanctified among individualist societies through the accepted medium of pop-culture, preparing the way for collectivist ideals to be adopted.

Then, the question will be: what do we choose to do with this immense force of collective humanity?

Ideas are pathways to action.
The road seems longer when you don't know how far you have to go, but
A journey with a friend is shorter than a journey alone.
So let's keep walking.