Consumerism & Over Consumption

 

We are bombarded with so much advertising.  It used to be that we saw it on our televisions, over the radio, in magazines and newspapers, and in the junk mail that arrived in our mailboxes, plus occasional signs or billboards, which was bad enough, but now we are relentlessly hammered with it on our computers.  Our cell phones as well.  We receive emails and texts, banner ads across every site we visit plus our streaming is interrupted with advertisements galore.  Our cell phones listen to our conversations and then tailor what we see in these ads to what we’ve been talking about.  Our online searches do this too.  I can’t seem to get away from it and to me it borders on complete insanity.  I despise it.

 

Twenty four hours a day, seven days a week we are receiving the constant message to buy, buy, buy stuff.  It is exhausting and it turns my stomach.  I’m sorry Big Business but your attempts to get me to purchase your products are having the opposite effect on me.  I don’t want your crap.  None of it!  I swear, the more it is pushed my way the less and less I want it.  It is just too much!  Nothing about anything that is advertised sets anyone apart and makes what they have to sell all that special or enticing.  Instead it nauseates me.  It’s just become noise.

 

For a very long time now we have lived in a society where consumerism and over consumption has been a way of life.  Corporate greed has been rearing its ugly head for a long, long, long time.  Consumer debt has been at an all time high and continues to rise.  Landfills are filled to capacity and overflowing.  I want nothing to do with it.  I’ve grown weary. 

 

In the past few years I’ve become an anti consumer.  I try not to purchase anything I don’t need and I live with more intention.  Unlike my neighbors my trash bin goes to the curb about once a month and is rarely full.  My recycle bin is the one I tend to fill and it only goes to the curb once a month as well.  I try my best to be a good steward and not be wasteful.  In my circle of friends and family we’ve come to the same conclusion.  We’ve had enough of all of it.  We no longer wish to participate in any type of over consuming lifestyle.

 

If more people joined us it would make a huge difference.  Contrary to what a lot of people believe, businesses wouldn’t shudder and go bankrupt.  Instead they would need to realign their business practices, advertise less (it is mind boggling what companies spend on advertising) and lower prices in order to attract customers.  Inflation would normalize – supply and demand, you know?  Our environment would heave a sigh of relief.  People would have saving accounts and money to invest.  People would stop accumulating astronomical amounts of debt.  Bankruptcy courts would be less busy.  More importantly people would be happier, less stressed and much healthier.  They would also appreciate what they have and seek out experiences over stuff.  Sounds pretty good to me!