Rant on the state of the world

I can't seem to stop worrying about the state of the world. Of humankind. Is it just that I'm getting older? But the world really does seem to be going to hell.
What happened to craftsmanship? Pride in your work? Why do we seem to think we shouldn't have to work? That happiness comes from spending money, eating and drinking too much, being lazy. I know I'm whining, but I can't get this out of my head. And painting it would not be fun or make a very good picture! We have no more leaders. We don't even know what leadership is anymore. People seem to think a leader is the one that spent the most money, or makes the most money, or won an election. Everything is about money in this country, maybe the world, but I can't speak for them. Really, we have succeeded in making the dollar bill our god. Every decision is ultimately based on the bottom line. And making a decision based on what is right for everyone in the long run, in other words a moral decision, is just derided. Our senators and congressmen blatently make choices based on who they owe favors to, and short sighted selfish gains for their constituents. I'm not a highly educated person, I'm no genius. But really how can people who purport to be our leaders make these decisions. And how can we, the unwashed masses in their eyes, continue to take sides and fight for the opinions they have given us? What ever happened to thinking for yourself? To reading up on issues instead of just parroting what your "team" tells you to?
Sustainability. I know I live in a rather backward area, so maybe I'm seeing less of this than in more progressive areas. I remember being very young 8 or 9 and my decision making was always based on: what would happen if everyone did this? It's a simple thing. I admit as I got older and struggled to survive financially and emotionally, I lost track of that simple question.
Hormones. I've gone through menopause and am no longer awash in hormones. I can now see which of my emotions and choices were based on hormones. We are animals by our physical nature, our prime directive is the perpetuation of the species. It's hardwired. Those hormones trigger thoughts, points of view, desires, that are basically impossible to ignore. Finding a mate, being attractive, having babies, nurturing babies, protecting family. Those things colored every decision I made once I hit puberty. What if, What if, humans didn't have those hardwired animal nature instincts. Fights, wars for power and dominance. Would they exist? Would men and women even associate? Or would we lose the differences that are so obvious now? What in the world would we do? Would we still have the desire to be loved? Accepted? Would we become wholly self centered or wholly unselfish? I don't know. But I do know popular culture is based almost exclusively on mating. Our heroes are the young and sexy. Wisdom, vision, spirit, what happened to those. I know none of this is new news. But really do people not see that they are being completely manipulated by people who just want to sell them something. Fashion? Please, its just about changing everything every season so everyone goes out and buys more stuff they don't need, on credit. Do they not see that this is but another attempt to be loved and accepted by their peers. To see themselves as worthy of the love. A basic hardwired need that the fashion industry very blatantly manipulated in order to make money. Period. They get richer, and we go further in debt.
Debt. When did it become okay to buy stuff you don't need until you can't pay your bills, and then just declare bankruptcy? When did it become cool to steal. Because thats what it is. you have a bunch of stuff you didn't pay for.
Religion. Is now a business. It's corporate america. At least the successful ones are. By that I mean the ones that can pay their bills by having enough customers. There are some small congregations with good people, people looking for love and community. More often than not led by someone who needs personal power. They are social clubs. I'm sorry, but the concept of spiritual thought, spiritual practice, personal spiritual journeys, have given way to club rules, infighting, power struggles, self importance, judgement, politics.
Children. Children do not learn to become contributing, mature adults by being treated like they are the center of the universe when they are a child. When did our lives start revolving around making money to buy our kids a bunch of stuff they don't need. Waiting in line at Christmas to buy them the trendiest new toy. Spending our day in the car shuttling them from this lesson to that practice. Doing their homework "with" (for) them? Cooking special meals for them. We have raised a generation of lazy, entitled, disrespectful kids that can't take care of themselves, can't manage their money, can't put in a good days works. We have girls getting boob jobs in their teens and considering manicures a necessity. We have taught them that love is bought with money. What is the incentive to becoming an adult if everything revolves around you as a child. Why would they want to grow up and have children when that means they become the slave? How do they even know how to be an adult if the parent acts this way? How do they learn to think for themselves or be creative when every moment is scheduled and all their entertainment is packaged.
I so often feel helpless in the face of all this. Does anyone else feel this way?