A close friend lives on the other side of the United States from me and together we form a book club. Yes, a two person book club. We talk for half an hour every week and have done so for a number of years. We alternate choosing books and feel free to abandon one if neither of us can stand to finish it.
Right now we are reading the book pictured above written in 2002 by a Canadian woman who worked at the time at Romero House Community in Toronto settling refugees. I found the reference to her book in a fairly lightweight book about gratitude. Every time that author quoted Leddy, I found what Leddy had written was worth a closer read. So my friend and I each acquired a used copy of the book.
Leddy challenges what she sees as a North American refusal to be satisfied with the present moment. She says that we live in a consumer culture and that its effects run much deeper than most of us realize. She says that the constant advertising blitz we live in constantly tells us that we need “more,” “better,” and “improved.” While many of us believe we resist the pull to buy a new car every year, she thinks that we are being influenced at a profound level. She calls this state “perpetual dissatisfaction,” and writes that it permeates North American culture. It leads us to want more in every aspect of our lives, not only materially but also in other ways. We judge everything around us as not being good enough, whether it is our church, our marriage, our family or our very selves.
“Radical Gratitude” challenges me at a deeply personal level. Anyone wanting to be stirred to confront the miasma of “perpetual dissatisfaction” all around us would benefit from reading the book.
Saved By Words 
That sounds like a good read. I’ll have to check it out, maybe there’s an audio book of it.
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Sounds a lovely read!
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Such a wonderful idea. We have a book club and we meet once a month and talk about the books we have read. It is fun
I am now reading the book I had written about in the Haiku post. It is a good book.
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I will look back for the title. Thanks.
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To have and not. The need to have on materials is mostly due to advertisement. To entice. And it could snowball to much more. Thank goodness for the teachings of Jesus. I don’t need much.
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I think with food and shelter our basic needs are met.
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Though perpetual dissatisfaction is definitely not isolated to America, it permeates throughout Western culture!
It is alive & well here in Australia too.
My husband calls it the “emperor’s new clothes syndrome”, which rode in triumphantly, on the back of consumerism.
It truly has bred & fed a beast of burden for us all!
Although once aware we can put into place counter measures of perpetual satisfaction with who we are & what we have! 😀
Great post Elizabeth! I love how you & your friend do this!
Jennifer
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I didn’t dare assume that since the author only mentions North America. I love her approach to a God centered radical gratitude. If you bump into a copy, I really recommend it. We love our very small book group!
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I’ll look out for it Elizabeth…
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Isn’t dissatisfaction what inspires us to do better, not just to consume more? I view my discontent as what drives me to try to improve. (Just my opinion.)
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I think the question is not that dissatisfaction is bad , rather that only dissatisfaction is bad. Never having enough, in other words.
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