The Material World = Our World today,
Most people, maybe even you, just keep buying more and more. It hurts to see. This Christmas I read in the newspaper that millions of people bought unnecessary things to friends and family, which ended up in the garbage. But why do we do this? Aren't homo sapiens sapiens the most intelligent "animal" on the planet? It doesn't seem so to me. Moreover why do we feel stress of buying things for each other that they might not need nor want? Is this really what being kind, nice and caring means? I don't think so!
I have to say: I have always been very impressed by my sister. She always finds me the ultimate Christmas and birthday gifts. Things that are very useful and that I end up using for years till they eventually break. When they break I become sad. Not because my bag broke but because it was a gift from my sister. Since my sister and I live far from each other, she in Netherlands and I in U.A.E. the gifts from her have a meaning as well. I end up always carry them around with me no matter where I am in the world and it always feels like she is with me. Moreover from photos of me she can also tell that her gifts are the things I always carry with me. I'm very impressed by her in this prospective: that she cares and thinks before buying something. If more people did that the world might be very different. Don't you think?
In reality we need new things once in a while. But I hate to see people, like some of my shopoholic friends, buying more and more things, clothes and crazy amounts of gadgets with their new almost unlimited credit cards. It hurts to see. Walking around in Abu Dhabi, Dubai or in New York and see all stores full of material things is: CRAZY!
Our world is run by making money and therefore also spending money. Sad. Shame. And makes me a shamed of the Western world. Are you?
Money is control,
Money is power,
Money rules our the world.
But money is not the key to real happiness!
Therefore are consumers, like you and me, essential to keep it going. But do you like your world to be like this? I don't.
I have, since I started buying myself things first of all, been careful with spending my money. Then I ask myself:
Do I really need this?
Next, will it come to use?
Do I have something similar already?
Due to this I believe I don't over consume too much. But yes I do admit I buy myself more things that I need. Shopping works sometimes for me like a happy pill. Shopping can make me feel good. But talking with someone, a good friend or family, or head off to the gym is a much better solution to solve the real problem than spending money.
Guess how many phones my mom has? Four in one house and they are all wireless! Isn't that crazy?! But she also have two other older ones phones that she doesn't work. Plus a cellphone..
Things like this just makes me sick. Why? No, not because I'm a "hippie" or an anti-materialist but because there are people in many, actually too many places, in the world that are starving to death, have no money to feed their children, have no money to pay their rent and have no money for medication. The world is not fair.
How come the world with all its well educated and smart politicians who have the power to change things don't?! It's all because of money. Next question, what do you do? Do you buy fair trade coffee? Consumers can also do small things by thinking before buying/consuming. Start caring. Start reading. Be aware. We all know about this and still changes are too slow. People, like you and I, that have food to eat everyday are lucky because millions of people don't. Think about that next time you buy something.
Over consumption of any kind is NOT GOOD.
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