After watching the video, The Story of Stuff (http://storyofstuff.org/movies/story-of-stuff/), I have noticed the golden arrow of consumption even more. I listened to a Wall Street Journal podcast and it talked about how the consumption sentiment increased. People are spending. Businesses are spending. It all makes economists very happy. Now all I can think about is those third world countries America has destroyed by using their resources, giving them our pollution, and dumping our waste there.
The American dream is actually just a vicious cycle of consumption. We work to make money, so we can buy more or get the best or the nicest or the newest stuff out there. Somehow people are never satisfied with what they have, but we are also ingrained to shop until we drop.
What would drive our economy if we were not a consumption nation? Would we create? Would we explore? Would we relax? Would we still want more? Since consumption is all I have ever known to drive the economy, I cannot imagine what else is out there. What if people just bought what they needed and not want they wanted?
I like to pretend I am a minimalist. I say pretend because I have more junk than I know what to do with. I am not a fan of shopping, and I do not care about the latest fashions, but somehow, I still have an overfilled closet. I still stress about not having room for my clothes. The worst part is, I probably do not even wear half of my clothes. It just seems weird to give it all away because maybe someday I will wear that outfit, that shirt, or that dress.
I know there is more to life than the things I have. There is more to life than how much money I can make so I can buy things to make my life more comfortable or convenient. Yes, it is nice to have money and nice things. But if I only had the necessities of life, I would be happy as long as I had the people around me who make my life worth living. I truly believe our human interactions is what makes life good. People can also be the worst, but when you have those solid people in your life that are always there for you, it does not matter how much you have, those are the people that make you want to wake up in the morning.
America has a consumption problem. We take, and we take but have forgotten what is really valuable. As Christmas time approaches, people’s consumption is on steroids. Even Hallmark shows try to tell us the Christmas is actually about love and the people around us, but it does not stop people from buying all the perfect gifts for people. There’s nothing wrong with giving presents, but it just becomes too much of the focus. This year, my family is going to try a present-less Christmas. I am actually looking forward to it. Even though my mom always buys me gifts that I love, I want to spend that day just being with my family and loving them.
I do not want to be known for my consumption. I want to be known by the intelligent people I surround myself with. I want to be known by the good I can contribute to this world. I want to be known as someone who loves unconditionally. I do not want consumption to consume my life.
