I, like all Americans, am a consumer. I do not, however, consider myself a mass consumer. Here lies the big difference in my mind, because I would argue that there are few people left on this earth who are not “consumers” in some right, meaning, they don’t produce everything for themselves. Being a mass consumer is an entirely different scenario, that is, instead of consuming just what you need for a happy life, you consume what you think you need in order to achieve a happy life.
I do not, however, believe that materialism is a completely evil thing. My passion is music; I get nervous if I don’t listen to at least one Neil Young album a day. However, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy my music without a record player, receiver, speakers, and, of course, records. Continuous consumption is what is truly harmful to people and our planet. Continuous consumers are mass consumers. They hope to achieve a happy life through all the great things they have, but instead, end up unhappy because they are seeking joy in things that ultimately end up controlling them.
As previously stated, I do not consider myself a mass consumer. I take pleasure in having a few very good things that I truly enjoy, and truly hate having things that I don’t use. I believe that I am a responsible consumer and only make purchases that are well thought out and honestly desired.
The environment has a lot to do, I believe, with my hate of consumerism and having junk in my life. It’s obvious when entering Wal-Mart, and seeing all the thousands of products, that our planet cannot support this kind of production. Our resources are limited, and our consumption is ever growing. And even further then that, we are always told in this country that growth is good. So if we are constantly consuming and constantly growing, how big can we get and how much can we produce until we hit the wall? Our planet can only support so much in resources, we can’t possibly grow forever.
Returning to the original point, if you feel that going shopping makes you happy, you are a mass consumer. And being a mass consumer is not healthy for our planet or your own psyche. “Simplify, simplify, simplify”, Henry David Thoreau coined that famous quote. He believed that man was actually made unhappy by civilized life and all of his ‘stuff’. This derives from the thought that man came from the wild and ultimately belongs to a natural life. We have a wild spirit in all of us, whether we remember it our not, so please, next time you want to blow of some steam by going on a shopping run, try reconnecting with your roots instead, go on a walk. It’s free and it will give you time to remember who you are, and what a new pair of shoes is not.
I myself don't feel that I am a huge consumer either, mainly because I try to save money. It seems to me that mass consumers consist of many people that have the money to consume. Like you said, it makes them happy to go shopping because they have the money to just spend it on what ever they feel. A smart consumer spends there money on certain items that make them happy, like you and your music items.
ReplyDeleteI love your outlook on the issue of being a continuous consumer vs. just consuming. We all consume and sometimes I feel as if I am made to feel guilty for doing so and I have tried to reason with myself and talk myself out of that guilt but never had a good reason why I shouldn't feel that way. Thank you for the new perspective - it seems accurate and is calming.
ReplyDeleteYou make a very important point: what is the breaking point? When shopping, consuming, will fix our mood in such a way, how are we to divert from that? Personally, I am an organized person. I think this helps in recognizing how much I have and how much I need. It keeps me from buying useless products and keeping clutter out of my life. In a way, this is my way of living simply. Other take it much more seriously; but, one step at a time.
ReplyDeletei like your blog especially at the end. It is funny what you said because i have a pretty strong belief in that. to me there is just something about going out in the tress, hear that wind come from afar across the top of the trees, feeling that sun speckle on your face. now maybe i should use another thing than shoes since i am not a shoe person but yes a walk in the woods does so much more, i mean those to their own but i think 9 out of 10 people will realize the truth in what you said.
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