Monster House - McMansion - Garage Mahal

So last night I had this dream. This was really a dream - that wasn't a clever way to begin this post. In my dream, I was back working for DesignTeam in Salt Lake City doing a flooring bid estimate take off for a house that obviously still haunts me. The house was for a prominent local entrepreneur and was over 10,000 square feet. Yes, that's right. His house was bigger than many suburban residential lots. There has been a trend over the last 100 years to want a bigger house - and now the average garage is bigger than the average home back in the 40s and 50s. Why?

The person I am referring to had 2 children. The house had a hidden space behind a bookcase (now you all know about it - some secret, huh?) Meanwhile, there are people in the world, even in our own country, who don't have anywhere to live.

I don't know this person. I don't know how much he does for the poor. I am not judging him on anything other than the number of square feet per person in his household. It works out to 2,500 square feet. That's bigger than my house. Again, there are people who don't have anywhere to live.

I am a big believer in the sanctity of the home. A person's home should be the place in the world where one can feel safe, comfortable, and peaceful. It is a place where children are nurtured and nourished, where fond memories are created and activities are experienced. We can all remember the house where we grew up. The question I have is, does bigger mean better? Just because we can afford to build a gi-nomous house, should we? Wouldn't our resources be better used in other ways, including educating, feeding, clothing, and housing the many, many people all over the world who could use some of those resources?

I know the arguments - that I am the one who worked for my money. I can use it how I want. Or that I gave at the door, and now it's time for me to get my own. Or that it's a waste of time and money to throw it away on people who don't know how to use it. These arguments are so full of logical fallacies manufactured to assuage the collective consciences of the McMansioners that it is almost laughable. It would be funny if it wasn't so sad.

I have always been taught that where much is given, much is required. We have been given stewardship over the earth and it's resources (it really doesn't belong to us - we belong to it: we came out of it and will eventually return). So what we do with our time here will be viewed under the microscope of history as either positive or negative. And ultimately, the best judge may be how well we used our resources to care for each other.

I don't think that this is appropriate.

Especially in light of this: