The economy

I just read this article on CNN that gives perspectives from 64 people on their current finances/lifestyle.

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/news/0803/gallery.real_stories/23.html

It's sad. Some of the stories are truly rough through no fault of the person. But a lot of them make me realize that we have come to have really high expectations - giant houses, a car for everyone, driving/flying wherever we want whenever we want, multiple vacations. I know, I expect these things too. I can't help but wondering if the current economic situation is perhaps forcing a shift from our current hedonistic lifestyles to a return to family oriented, saner (perhaps) life?

Think about it:
You can't afford childcare - you're forced to move closer to family in order to get that help.
Gas costs are rising - you can't afford to shuttle your kid to 8,000 activities and they have to be home more often and focus instead on fewer things. Or if you're single, you think twice as hard about a weekend trip or driving to work. Maybe you even consider riding a bike now that the weather is warmer! Hooray!

I'm not saying it's great or even desirable, but perhaps something good can actually come out of it.