man... you're so right. i could go off on such a rant right now, but you pretty much summed it up.
we are so disconnected from the natural earth that i am terrified by it. we assume that dinner comes from the grocery store, and that heat comes from the furnace. people eat food that has been destroyed, re-constituted, and processed beyond the point of being remotely acceptable. if you were to throw an average american (or canadian, or whoever) into the woods with even some basic supplies, they would not be able to live! we rely on plastics and electricity, running water... all of these things have torn us apart from where we came from. everyone should farm at least some of their own food, they should learn how to repair their own houses if at all possible, they should learn how to camp, they should learn about plants and animals, they should learn that life doesn't revolve around going to college so you can get a job and a wife and 3 kids and a nice little house. they should research their individual impact on the environment and see how very minor adjustments to their lifestyle could seriously help. how did computers and other such distractions become forefront in our society? this is fucked up.
go outside, find somewhere without modern distractions, and listen to your environment. grow some food and discover the true satisfaction of self-sustainability.
edit: this isn't aimed at anyone here, i'm just saying. we all need to get into the soil before we die and end up there against our will.