"The Economy"?

I am hearing many people talk about "The Economy". Not just talk about whether it is strong or growing, but talk as if it is the most important thing in the world. I am cautious when I hear personification of abstractions. Paul Stiles' book Is The American Dream Killing You? explains:

"Burnout is facilitated by one of the Market's great lies. The Market is always broadcasting, through its omnipresent media, that the meaning of life is found in the economy, typically through financial success. This tremendous fraud, which has led so many to their deaths, survives on marketing alone, and fails to stand up to the slightest inspection. The Market cannot provide any meaning to life, simply because that is neither its role nor its nature. The Market is nothing but a practical tool, a system designed for putting a roof over our head, food on the table, and clothes on our back--and that's it. The market system can no more provide life with meaning than can the transportation system. Work can certainly be meaningful for noneconomic reasons, such as when it calls forth your creativity, but the more it serves a purely financial end, the more meaning is drained from it."

Good book.