A Consumerist Society
We are at heart a consumerist society. It’s hard to retrain ourselves on that level. Our need for things differs greatly from a few decades ago, let alone a century ago.
Advertising fuels us with a need for things that we never possessed before or didn’t even know we ‘needed’ till we saw the ad.
Shopping has become a hobby. A simple way to lift up the ego after a long week at work or to boost your self esteem after an argument with a loved one is to give ourselves a little shopping treat. We’ve even coined the term ‘retail therapy’.
Also the idea of ‘keeping up with the Jones’ fuels this idea that we are in competition with each other about how much stuff we have amassed.
As if we are judged not by the fruits of our success or the happiness that engenders, but by how much stuff we have bought and how big a house we can fit it into.
Essentially it all comes down to stuff. And we’ve all got loads of it.
In her book and the base for a new movie Confessions of a Shopaholic, Sophie Kinshella offers the not-so-useful advice “Go to the shops, walk around, have a lovely time, enjoy the whole experience then head to the lipstick counter. Instead of buying a Chanel suit, buy a Chanel lipstick: it is a treat that isn't going to break the bank.”
But why do we need a day out to experience the joy of shopping without actually buying anything? What else could we be doing with our valuable time? What else might give us that retail high?
At the end of the day we need to get to the root of our desire for stuff. Though the root cause will be unique to each person, more than likely it will be fuelled by an issue of self-worth.
Perhaps we do not feel valued at work, or we do not value our own contribution to the world at large. Then we fill this void with a new something from the high street.
We can blame the advertisers and the magazines, but we need to have a good look at ourselves.
Anti-Consumerist Action
Every year Adbusters runs their Buy Nothing Day. The ethos is simple. Stop consuming. From the pages of Adbusters: “…behind our financial crisis a much more ominous crisis looms: we are running out of nature… fish, forests, fresh water, minerals, soil. What are we going to do when supplies of these vital resources run low?
There’s only one way to avoid the collapse of this human experiment of ours on Planet Earth: we have to consume less. It will take a massive mindshift. You can start the ball rolling by buying nothing on November 28th.”
Freecycle Network
Now really we need to nip this consumerism in the bud, we have to detox from shopping, but until then we have the Freecycle network.
Getting rid of stuff you don't want and giving it to people that do – it’s as simple as that. Like a cross between an online charity shop and Ebay, freecycling is an online community with an impressive mantra - “changing the world one gift at a time".
Freecycle boosts your serotonin, gives you a happy high for simply giving something that you don’t need back to the community. Naturally money makes the world go round, but often we just need to get rid of some clutter and make room for something new (literally, or energetically!).
Now just like facebook, ‘freecycling’ has become a verb. To get to the heart of it, you need to go to www.freecycle.org – in order to learn how to Freecycle.
"Our mission is to build a worldwide gifting movement that reduces waste, saves precious resources & eases the burden on our landfills while enabling our members to benefit from the strength of a larger community."
How Freecycle Works
It’s not a trade or barter system, simply you join your local Freecycle network and when you have something to get rid of, you send an email to your network. If someone wants it, they reply! It’s so simple and it keeps energy moving. You can also create a wishlist and put out that you are looking for something in particular. You could probably furnish a whole apartment pretty quickly through Freecycle. Or unburden yourself of one.
The roots of the Freecycle Network lie in Tucson, Arizona circa 2003. It was a way to help reduce the quantity of waste sent to landfills. Now there are thousands of groups in more than 50 countries. Naturally it’s good for the environment, but also it’s simply a way of passing things on that we no longer have a need for.
Ways To Let Go Of Stuff
How do we leave things behind? Spiritual teacher Sri Chimnoy goes back to basics with three simple questions… Ask yourself:
“Do you really need the item? Is the item of intrinsic beauty? Even by just asking these questions we can help to decide whether we really need it. The problem is that often we accumulate things, without questioning whether we really need them. Go through each item, if you cannot justify its use then get rid without any qualms.”
“Another very effective way to remove unnecessary clutter is to start from scratch. Rather than looking at things to throw away, imagine the room was completely bare, and then only add what you really need. This is a great way to decide whether a thing is of practical importance or just there out of habit.”
And here’s my personal list of things you can to do to feel good without going shopping…
• Become a cultural revolutionary at www.adbusters.org
• Sponsor a child at www.salaambaalaktrust.com
• Think globally, recycle locally at www.freecycle.org
• Take the personality quiz at www.43things.com
• Change your Thinking at www.worldchanging.org
• Go deeper at www.7gatewaystogod.com