Consumerism Has Become a Belief Instead of a Means to an End

Article Summary

We are flooded with sales and shopping holidays, tempted into purchasing products that we do not really have a use for. This leads to offhandedly throwing them away, playing a role in the grand game of human pollution. It is best if we lessen the number of products we consume, throw out much less – and try to purchase as many items from Israeli manufacturers as possible.

In the time period we are living in – it is impossible to ignore the onslaught of buying opportunities, the variety of sales, the ability to purchase what we desire at prices that are at times very low and at times not, the ability to give and receive gifts, to actualize our hidden urges, to dedicate time to surfing the web and catalogs, to upgrade our quality of life and various capabilities, to enhance our beauty and buy jewelry, and many more. We are surrounded on all sides by these opportunities, some of which are truly opportunities and some sales tactics. In the modern economy, there is importance to the market’s activity, the size of the commercial sector, the rise in purchasing abilities and quality of life.

This is also a wonderful time to assess the possibility of considering the other side of the coin, acting differently: to be aware of the flood of excess items we have; to approach the large-scale pollution of the planet caused even by throwing out items that could have been used due to the desire to have a newer one; to remember that some of these products were created using disgraceful exploitation which we contribute to by purchasing; to look in the mirror and see what is happening to us, that a significant portion of our lives has become a journey of continuous shopping; to assess if the lower price justifies ignoring our obligations towards Israeli manufacturers, based on “and your brother shall live amongst you”, and many more.

Even if the consumer race has positive results – promoting the economy, using better equipment, providing income, etc. – one who analyzes the numbers and the extent of consumption sees phenomena most similar to an unhealthy addiction. This addiction has vast significance, primarily in topics connected to the issue of what type of people we wish to be, what will be considered successful in life and actualization of our lives’ purpose, what price do we pay when we are locked into consuming products and constantly engaging in a search after the best possible deal, the behavior we show to our children and where our attention points to when one who is swept into the fury of sales while their economic situation practically calls on them to do the exact opposite.

It seems that one cannot measure and draw a precise line between a life where we buy what we need and what benefits us, and the stage where we turn consuming into a goal and not a means to an end. However, it seems that one can draw this line with a broad stroke: in situations where a person is presented with a compulsion to buy, where their house is full of things that they have no use for or there is fast turnover of items, in a situation where we purchase using delayed payments through some mathematical misconception and not financial planning, and in short: in any situation where we ignore that which is really important in life and corrupt our existence by dedicating time to the experience of shopping and surfing commercial websites – this is the time to stop, heal, and return to that which will be said about us when we wish to encapsulate our lives.

Practically, it is better if we limit ourselves in some aspects of shopping; it is best if one has a feeling of mutual care and solidarity leading to them assessing beforehand whether there is a respectable Israeli vendor first; it is best if we did not throw out as much as we do; it would be best if, in general, we defined for ourselves what is important and central in life.

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