People and their possessions puzzle me.
As long as they have the flash car, phone, television, kitchen and so on and so on, all is well in their world.
It’s a competition; who can spend the most, who can fill their lives with endless empty vessels.
Yet, look a little closer and everything isn’t quite as rosy as it appears to be. All they have, isn’t even theirs. It’s all paid for by the never never. The credit card, loan and finance option, the Neverland for all goods bought and sold.
People demand the ‘necessities’, which used to be called luxuries. Consumerism is now the prerequisite to the picture perfect life. They believe the latest products make life worth living. People eagerly buy into the product and the myth ‘you need this, and this will make your life great’.
For me it is all show and no substance. Can happiness be found in buying the latest gadget or redecorating for the eight time in a year? I doubt it.
How can any object be worth more than what is going on in life, in relationships in the world?
Why spend money you don’t have on things you really don’t need? How many washing machines can a person really use in one house?!
Now I appreciate the finer things in life, but not if it means I am lumbered with debts I struggle to pay every month, just so my neighbours are green with envy.
Maybe then, if we all stopped buying, and considered for a moment why we are buying, perhaps we might decide we don’t need to take another trip to the checkout. We might discover we can actually be happy, and, happy with what we already have!
One pause for thought might convince us that saving our money doesn’t mean our lives will come to an end.
If we thought before we bought maybe we’d see how buying a 3D TV won’t make us better people or somehow more interesting. We might also consider the conundrum of a society that throws away so much just because it’s deemed unfashionable or technologically redundant, and therefore consuming just for the sake of it makes no logical sense. We might realise that the never never is economically foolish, and a sure way to make us more depressed than not having a new car or latest iPhone.
Ummmmm, money in the bank or credit on a small plastic card. I know which I’d prefer, and it’s not the latter. Give me cold hard cash any day; it’s not out of sight out of mind like a charge on a credit card. With cash you can see your money, understand the real value of it and know that once you’ve spent it, it won’t grow back on trees!
The Savvy Senorita 
The select few people who run the world don’t want a population of people who know what happiness and value are truly all about, because those kinds of people are generally well-balanced in mind and body and are thus hard to control (and dare I say enslave). A population of poorly-educated people who can’t stop buying things are quite easy to control (think about what the Roman games were used for).
Your article here is spot-on, in my humble opinion.
Thanks for reading and commenting, I appreciate it! It’s great to receive good feedback on what I write, again, thanks to you for reading and stopping by my blog.
I too agree with you. It could be seen a clever diversion tactic of the ‘ruling elite’ – great way to consume people’s minds and lives with the inane. Consuming people of the world with consumerism so they don’t see the real issues. In my mind, consumerism makes a great 21st century ‘opiate for the people’. Thanks again for reading, Bex
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I look forward to more equally well-done posts by you in the future!
(I dare say your namesake is entirely accurate, given the posts already on your blog)
Thanks for your kind words and support! I am truly appreciative of it. Thanks again, Bex 🙂
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And thank YOU for the likes and follow. Much appreciated!
My pleasure! 🙂 I enjoyed what I read, interesting and thought provoking work! Thanks again, Bex
Thought-provoking is what I aim for. 🙂
Yes, I can see that 🙂
A very nice post, Bex. Thank you. 🙂
Thanks Michael, I appreciate that! Thanks for reading 🙂
The countryside also isn’t the retreat from the consumerism frenzy of society that is used to be. I’m not saying it’s the internet’s fault, but since our village has broad band, there certainly is a lot more useless stuff around
Yep, the internet gets you wherever you are. There is no escape from consumerism.
I hate credit cards! They’re evil, I say. I wish credit was never invented. I think we would all be better off. All, except the banks, of course.
I agree Amy, they are the bane of most people’s lives!! Yes, they are definitely benefit the banks coffers more than Joe public’s! Thanks for reading and responding, I appreciate it! Bex
Well said. I sometimes wonder why people buy what they do, but have come to learn that common sense often has nothing to do with the purchases. People do what they do because it pleases them on some level, eh? Me? I like to save.
Thanks Ally, and thanks for reading and responding; I appreciate it! Yes, I think so too; I know I have done my fair share of impulse buying. I might not be the best saver in the world, but like you I do prefer saving then spending every last penny I have. Thanks again, Bex
So true. Not having money is hard, but it makes you more resilient. Having it and never having to struggle means, when you do have to struggle, you aren’t prepared. When you get bored with the latest gadget, what next? You can’t take it with you in the next life.
Thanks for reading and responding; I appreciate it. Having no money is definitely tough, and a situation more likely to entice anyone to get into debt. A big problem is the constant saturation of ‘the lives of the rich’ via the media. People want to have what they see, as though it will provide them with some sort of status. Its a perpetual need for society to keep up with the Joneses and spend money they haven’t got. When the money has gone, people aren’t prepared for that, you are right. I really think money management skills is something everyone would benefit from receiving at some point in their life; I know gaining such skills at a younger age would have helped me have more money in the bank!! Thanks again, Bex
The Neverland. I love it.
Thanks 🙂