Consumerism and Spirituality

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Well, it’s Easter Sunday. For those of you of a religious nature it is a holy day. Me – I’m English and so, whatever else fully-justified accusation you may throw at me, you will appreciate that organised spirituality means little to me (unless you count the uplifting surge of vicarious pride felt by all English people when the national soccer team scores a goal against Germany). No, Easter Sunday like every other bank holiday, means indulgence for me. Much as it does for most of the other citizens fortunate enough not to have to work today.

My girlfriend and I (and before I go any further you have in those four words a self-contained pit thread… I am wrestling with myself to maintain sufficient control to keep this thread here in MPIMS) decided to go out for the day indulging.

Nothing unusual there – half of Britain was out today: pushing ugly children around dismal parks in over-priced pushchairs; buying tasteless chemical concoctions of vanilla and frozen water from Ice Cream vendors; looking to the skies and bemoaning the fact that the papers absolutely promised a heat-wave; and turning plastic bags inside-out in order to collect steaming dog faeces from the bottom of the Kids’ slide in the play area, thereby denying those of us smart enough to be child-free the amusing experience of watching a child land face-first in excrement.

My Girlfriend (MG) and I have spent the day moving from point of expenditure to point of expenditure. We have eaten (Kangaroo sausage, Mash and Peas); We have drunk (Kronenburg 1664 x 2); We have walked; We have drunk again (Stella Artois x 2) we have spent time in All Bar One (a UK chain) eating Hummus and Barbecued Prawn and drinking South African Pinotage, and finally – we have ended up here (local pub) where we are consuming more beer.

It is at this moment that I finally get to the point… I am sitting here, grasping my beer and wondering – what is it all about? - This consumption I mean. I know the answer to life the universe and everything – that’s easy and that is not my question. What I want to know is – is there some point to this relentless search for experience? Do we consume because of a capitalist imperative? Are we by nature a species of explorers – hunting down new experience and valuing the fresh over the familiar, or is just me and MG? Are we just too flush (Currencied-Up) and too bored, or are we exhibiting some aspect of the Human Condition that requires us to seek out and consume?

I know if I was a god botherer I would see that there was more to life than hedonism but as an avowed (Dawkins style) atheist can I avoid this rabid consumption or am I destined to consume experience as I do air, until age overtakes me and I fall victim to illness or poverty?

I feel sure that this unique pool of intelligence (SDMB) has something to offer – what do you think?

2

Yes.

3

Don’t feel odd for having qualms with the consumption lifestyle of the average American. The way we live harms the world we live in in such a way that it would be impossible for the Earth to support everyone living in such a way, its having a hard enough time just with us westernized nations.

The PBS special “Affluenza” (later turned into a great book) mentions that

The site also says that “The number of ‘very happy’ people peaked in 1957, and has remained fairly stable or declined ever since. Even though we consume twice as much as we did in the 1950s, people were just as happy when they had less.”

The life we must live to have the two SUVs in the driveway of a four bedroom house requires a lot.

In Affluenza (beginning of ch.5) trend spotter Gerald Celente says,

And (more relevent to the OP) in the beginning of chapter 14 Psychologist David Meyer says,

More than ever, we have big houses, high incomes and low morale, secured rights and diminished civility.  We excel at making a living but often fail at making a life.  We celebrate our prosperity but yearn for purpose.  We cherish our freedoms but long for connection.  In an age of plenty, we feel spiritual hunger.

I’d recommend reading “A Consumers’ Republic” by Lizabeth Cohen, “Technopoly” by Neil Postman, “Enough” by Bill McKibben, “The Age of Missing Information” by the same (Comparison of the experience of 24 hours of Adirondack mountain life with all the television on a network over a day) the first chapter of “Inherit the Earth” by Berrill, and of course “Affluenza” by de Graaf, Wann, and Naylor as well as a visit to adbusters.

4

note to self: php button is near the quote button.

5

I don’t want to post 3 times in a row… but now after reading your post a couple times through I see you might be driving at more than humankind’s need for stuff. Sorry if I brought it too far off course.

6

Is this a brand or breed?

Mashed what? Potatoes?
I pretty much agree with you. To me it’s just another day off that my local grocerey stores are only open half a day (if at all), but usually I’ll offer to work someone else’s shift so they can have some time with their family (I’m an equal opportunity offerer: Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Pagan - need a day off, I’ll work for you. Yesterday was the first holiday I have not worked in a long time.). I know the day may be important to them, and I’m not doing anything for that day anyway, so I might as well work.

As far as the ‘continual need for rapant consumerism’, I am getting pickier about my needs and, more especially, my wants. Taken me quite a while, but after doing a thorough clean-through of the house (still in progress), I finally realized there is so much I neither needed nor really wanted. I am simplifying my life, and realized I am becoming happier in the process. Finally finally finally realized I have been hooked into believing the advertising, and purchasing stuff I did not need or want. Although sometimes the Hedonismish lifestyle does seem attractive (and I catch myself wanting to indulge), I’m finding the pleasure gained is all too short-lived, and looking more at the long-term.

And how ironic is this: I work at a theme park, where everyone goes to indulge themselves. (Ain’t quitting anytime soon: the insurance and the retirement plans are too good.)

Just go outside, breathe the clean air (anywhere away from the dog feces, preferably), and have a Stella for me (although I prefer Guinness). Enjoy life, and let others keep up with the Joneses.
(And I hope this is making sense: the coffee is not quite finished brewing.)

7

I have this thought often. Not so much the “woe-is-me” flavor but the general “why”. Why am I going to work? To make money. Why am I making money? To pay the bills. Why do I have bills? To live in this house, to watch this cable, to eat this sandwich, to drink this beer.

What result am I looking for? I’m just going to keep doing this for the next 50 or so years? Get up, eat, drive somewhere, do something, go home :expressionless: Die. There are fun parts inbetween but it’s much more like the chocolate chips in the cookie as opposed to the cookie itself.

Part of it, I believe, has to do with being a single, childless person. It seems that my w/ children friends live for their children first, themselves second, it seems to give them a purpose I don’t have. I seem to be “content” with hitting the rewind button every night.

8

You have not taken me off course at all. Your quote from David Meyer states my position far more economically than I did: “in an age of plenty we feel spiritual hunger”… well I do – though that spirituality needs some qualification in my case.

America is pretty much the de-facto premier example of a consumer economy – but the rest of the Western World and plenty of Asian countries are very similar as far as I can see…

screech-owl

Kangaroo sausage is a breed. It was my first experience – almost a gamey taste. Actually I had Pork and Stilton – it was my girlfriend who had the Kangaroo. They are made in the pub – though I guess the Kangaroo is shipped in from a local zoo rather than farmed in the pub garden. The mash is mashed potato - Sausage (or bangers) and mash. Archetypal English food which, contrary to what many Americans seem to believe, is very tasty. Of course we also excel at appalling, tasteless muck – but that is more to do with an unfortunate national obsession with ripping each other off in business. If a café or restaurant can shave a few extra pennies profit by skimping on quality then many of them will. We get what we pay for in this country and many of us are happy to pay very little.

On the subject of rampant consumption – I usually do just get on with it – and today (Monday) has been no exception. Nevertheless I know exactly what you mean by simplification. I have often said that I might move to India and spend the rest of my days wandering the land dressed in a giant nappy. I know I am being flippant – but I am always serious underneath the nappy! I just keep wondering what life would be like if I owned nothing but a loin-cloth… I’m just too scared to do it – even a hugely watered down version like hitchhiking around Europe seems out of reach.

Also there is the ‘Experience’ consumption that sort of troubles me. ‘Troubles’ is perhaps not the best word but it is late and I really must get to bed. I am ‘bothered’ by the very process of consuming experience. In order to truly simplify I would need to experience less! Now that, I believe, would truly be a spiritual crime. Without lapsing into any Supernatural or Faith based belief, I can be spiritual by simply examining the wonder and beauty of life on Earth and marvelling at the complexity and economical elegance of it all. Failing to experience as much of what pleases me as possible, is I believe, a terrible waste of the glorious opportunity that I have been granted by birth. God, I sound like a hippy. I assure you I am not.
Bruce_Daddy

I think you are bang-on about the kids bit. I have no children and no plans to have any. I feel sure that for many if not most parents – vicarious living – through their children, is what gets them up in the morning spiritually as well as literally. A good friend of mine – single and childless (there are loads of us about – I wonder if the pattern is repeated across the country…? If so we are heading for a population crash here!) has just got a Rescue Dog from the RSPCA. After twelve weeks he has become an integral part of her life. I can see (and she tells me daily) that he has added a dimension to her life. In a strange way I think this mentally-impaired mongrel is a living breathing example of part of what I am trying to express…

I must sleep now – on the East side of the planet it is already 1am. Whilst you are settling in for the American remake of the Office on TV we Europeans are revolving towards daybreak and I have to work tomorrow, to earn the money to waste next weekend.

I’m sorry that I have not managed to be very precise about exactly what it is that is generating this vague, nagging, unease. Thanks for replying all of you - it is nice to know that I am not alone in my madness.

I’ll sleep on it - perhaps tomorrow, when I should be working, I may be able to elucidate. Getting paid to navel gaze does have a certain appeal…:cool: