Keepin' up with the Joneses

My hubby and I watched a movie the other night called "The Joneses." It came out a few years ago, and I was intrigued by the title because I thought it was a movie about a family who tried to "keep up."

Well, interestingly it was something I did not expect. Cut to the opening scene of the movie - picture it with me. The "Jones family" is riding in a brand new vehicle that rides so smooth it is like "riding on the ass of an angel" (as quoted by "Mr. Jones"). Flash over to scenes of Ethan Allen moving trucks moving furniture in to the 5000+ square foot home in Scottsdale, AZ. The family shows up and prepares for the neighbors to visit by answering the door together.

They appear perfect, right?

As the movie progresses, we learn that this family is not actually a family. They are a sales team made up of unrelated individuals with a goal to promote enviable products to family, friends, and neighbors. They are pushed to establish close relationships and become the desirable family that everyone wants to be like.

As a result, the sales for their individual products rise. They receive payment as a result. This is their life.

The premise of this movie freaked me out a little bit because I realized how true it could actually be. How many "perfect families" do many people envy out there? How many of those people want the latest and greatest gadgets just because "someone else has it?"

The movie ends with a suicide of the neighbor - one who "Mr. Jones" established a close relationship with. He charged everything and had nothing to show for it. He sacrificed himself for the Joneses' cause and for a life that never really existed.

This movie really made me think. How often does this happen and how many people are willing to sacrifice their lives - emotionally, financially, and mentally - for the cause of "The Joneses?" It's a scary path that I was headed down, but I realized that there is much more to life for than caring about what other people think. Ultimately, it is up to us as individuals to be in control of who we are and know our own self worth.

Money, possessions, and material things can't represent that - to ourselves or anyone else.