What makes your clock tick??

Ok....I know Im gonna piss off a LOT of people with this, but hey....thats why they put this up, for MY thoughts. So....I apologize in advance...feel free to throw rotten fruit at me the next time you see me.
So, got a few things on my mind....Ok, ask yourself, what defines your life?? Is it your job?? Your relationship?? Your children?? Your material things?? Your faith?? Your choices?? If there is any broad cross section of people reading this Im sure every one of those can be accounted for...some people may check more than one...Im really getting off point. So.....is this a by product of the evolution of our society?? I would say a product of a capitalistic society BUT it is present in other societies....just we as a money hoarding country...we are the most guilty. Ill tell you one thing...this is NOT a product of basic evolution.....throughout the last few millennia, humans have evolved from hunter gatherer societies in which they defined their life by their ability to reproduce and feed said offspring....protect their families and feed them...no more. So....what is bugging the SHIT out of me is the materialistic, two faced, nothing but a glorified fucking cattle show that we call a life. Ok......Ill admit, certain things have set me off to write this but it was a series of small things that got spinning in this pressure cooker that I call a brain that really got me going.
Ok, let me set this up. I have been dealing with a lot of "image" issues lately. My image, my friend's images, what people think of them, what they WANT people to think of them (this is good and bad, Im not just speaking of negative issues.) it seems to me that some people's public persona means more to them than the serious relationships in their life. And if you think this is about you...more than likely its not...dont fret, who gives a damn what I think about you anyway. See....I disagree with the OBSESSION over public image...people are going to think what they will about you...and the harder you try to mold yourself into something...the people that are worth having the desire of their approval will see through that....its not hard. THINK ABOUT THAT!! The harder you work at it...the more foolish you look. Ok, now to what else brought me to this, I was browsing around this sickness we call myspace (I know...Ive got a lot of room to talk) when I came across a quote on this girls myspace:

"Girls need four pets, a mink in their closet, a jaguar in the garage, a tiger in the bed, and a jackass to pay for it all."

Well.....aren't your parents fucking proud of you.....wow. Ok, maybe Im being a little overdramatic about this, but this is half of the issue we have. People are centering around a life of money and possessions. This kills me, I have never "wanted" for anything in my life in a material sense. I have had/have parents that have worked theirselves literally/figuratively to death providing for me. PLEASE GOD do not for a SECOND think I take that for granted. I have something in the way of a family that a lot of people dont. I am very thankful for that, but its these people that not only expect these material things but base their success on these things......I dont claim to have all the answers but I do have this request...step back and think for a while.....deal?? I had someone a year ago tell me that I was a "waste of potential." Ok, so in this person's eyes I am supposed to be a practicing doctor right now....a lawyer in a firm in Chicago...A downsizing exec. Ok, perhaps I have not lived up to my potential throughout my life...but I asked this person. "Will you go to my funeral??" This person gave me a bewildered look and said, "I'd hope I would be a pallbearer." I looked at this person (yes...Im using ambiguous terms, protecting identity here people!!) and said, "Exactly, Im not measuring my success about what I die with. Im measuring it by the length of the line in that funeral home." I cant define my life by what I have, I DO want to be able to pay my bills and have fun when I want, but the car I drive or the house I live mean nothing to me....I think its foolish. Call me a bum, underachiever, what ever you want.....we just simply agree to disagree. Dont lash out at someone because they make a statement that makes you uncomfortable or threatened...Explain your point..dont call someone names... I have been a people pleaser for a lot of years...now granted, Im not as much of one these days but time changes people. But while Im standing by my statement on how Im measuring my success in the quantity and qualities of relationships in my life....I still think Im missing something. My roller coaster of a life has been up, down, in pieces, and put back together. And while I can say that I feel great about the fact that I have a LOT of people that have stood beside me during this, have all of them? No, but that just seems to weed my X-Mas card list down nicely. I am happy with where my life is going.....I just feel like I need that next step...that next piece.....Im pretty sure I know what I dont want it to be....but Im a lot farther away from what that piece is. Once again...Im NOT trying to say that I have answers here...this is just my opinion. I realize Im standing on a pile of broken glass right now....hell my fingers fell chapped from all the rocks I threw...but Im at a point where Im ready to take that next step, try to become a better person. SOO, just thought I'd throw that out there....