Selling Kidneys for iPads

And this is a true story!

Did you see this?

Over the weekend, BBC News reported that a teenager in China had sold one of his kidneys so he could afford to buy an iPad.

When did we get here?

When did we arrive in this place where every room needs an HD flat screen TV, when every eligible member of the family needs his or her own car, when a regular cell phone is not enough, is a signal of deprivation rather than affluence?

When did paying the monthly fee for unlimited usage of our smart phone become more important than saving for our old age, or even helping that family down the street we know needs help because both parents lost their jobs in the Great Recession?

What part have we played in this transformation?

When did our shiny objects become more important than human beings?