Up until now it has not been an exaggeration to
say “the one who has the most things when he dies wins”.
But the power of consumption is being questioned and
there’s a change in attitude and way of life. A suitable expression
for the future could be “the one with most insight
when he dies wins”.
the idea of good and bad consumption
Each and every dollar (or euro or whatever) we spend
on a product or service is a vote for (or against) the
process, quality, belief system or form of what we buy.
the journal also acknowledges that the very companies we want to change are largely the ones responsible for how we think, and what we think about "companies to a large degree affect our choices and our consumption."
the journal also states there is a new trend called Down shifting or Voluntary Simplicity, summed up as:
Decrease consumption, work less and have more leisure time - about not detouring through money to live a happy life
inner peace and fulfillment over wealth, status and power
The five core values of Downshifting are: economical
awareness, material simplicity, self sufficiency, smallscaliness
and personal development.
it also said, that although its unlikely we'll stop consuming altogether:
perhaps it’s possible to share the car and the lawn mower with the neighbour. Or perhaps even borrow things from each other and at the same time gain a social contact.
The importance of owning is slowly turning into the importance of experiencing.
Traditional luxury consumption, as we define it now, will not provide the same status in the future as it does today.
Perhaps in the future giving will be more important than having
Perhaps we shall also buy fewer but better products, aim for quality (both in material and design)? True sustainability is achieved first when we keep the things that we buy.
and had this to say too:
Defenders of consumption are however not the least worried about the social and environmental problems caused by our consumption. Their motivation being that innovation and new technical solutions will save us.
As thinking individuals we also have a responsibility to make sure the people who produce the goods we buy are paid properly, and that they live in an environment not destroyed by the production.
More and more consumers are becoming increasingly inquisitive with their purchasing power and are demanding to know the provenance of products. Today, a silent question of ‘what is the process of this product having come before me?’ is very common.
Those in the west who don’t have to worry about shelter and food, are seeking choices that help them live better, rather than have more.
They have defined their own success criteria, rather than following the ones placed on them by society.
The trick is to be content with what you have. Nothing more, nothing less.
It’s through pausing and taking time for self reflection ... that we remember the true joy of living
One thing is certain: we cannot continue consuming as we do today - our globe simply cannot take such a strain. In west many has a relative abundance of money which could give us more leisure
time as well as reduce our stress level - yet we choose to consume more. How much is enough?
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