Consumerism is the Opiate of the People
It is 4:30 am in eastern Bhutan, and the monks of Kurjey Monastery begin their morning’s ritual; an hour’s meditation. At 6:00 am, the monks walk barefoot around the neighbourhood, and will be lucky if they receive food from the local people. They consume only what they need, and their simplistic lifestyle is pure and unadulterated, free from the pollution of western society. Their day continues with hours of meditation and perhaps the odd meal, and finishes at 8 pm, with the ringing of a calming bell, a normal end to a normal day.
Meanwhile, tis the morning after Christmas day, and the crowds are building outside the Westfield Bondi Junction. And so the ritual begins, and it is, undeniably, the highest and most horrific date on the consumerism calendar, Boxing Day. Thousands flock, as if like pilgrims to the Vatican, where the mall is their cathedral and the ads are their bible. Boxing Day is the reigning idol of consumer religion, a senseless and degrading modern tradition that has stemmed from nothing more than the greed of human nature. So what effect does this economic materialism have on us all, and is there a way to escape it?
We live in a ‘binge consuming’ culture. Our consumption pollutes the way we relate to other people, institutions and society in general, and depletes our morals and spirituality. Consumerism results in the depravity of our once simple lifestyles, which have now shifted to become selfishly focused on material comforts and economic gluttony. Our enduring faith pertaining to this lavishly infectious lifestyle destroys our individuality, in that we evolve into a homogenised group of autonomous beings conforming to the artificial internal drive that advertisers tap into.
Advertising has viciously transmogrified our wants into necessities. Through the advertising medium we are constantly told that we aren’t good enough, that we don’t have enough, but if we purchase this product then we will be and have just that. The stark futility of
Meanwhile, tis the morning after Christmas day, and the crowds are building outside the Westfield Bondi Junction. And so the ritual begins, and it is, undeniably, the highest and most horrific date on the consumerism calendar, Boxing Day. Thousands flock, as if like pilgrims to the Vatican, where the mall is their cathedral and the ads are their bible. Boxing Day is the reigning idol of consumer religion, a senseless and degrading modern tradition that has stemmed from nothing more than the greed of human nature. So what effect does this economic materialism have on us all, and is there a way to escape it?
We live in a ‘binge consuming’ culture. Our consumption pollutes the way we relate to other people, institutions and society in general, and depletes our morals and spirituality. Consumerism results in the depravity of our once simple lifestyles, which have now shifted to become selfishly focused on material comforts and economic gluttony. Our enduring faith pertaining to this lavishly infectious lifestyle destroys our individuality, in that we evolve into a homogenised group of autonomous beings conforming to the artificial internal drive that advertisers tap into.
Advertising has viciously transmogrified our wants into necessities. Through the advertising medium we are constantly told that we aren’t good enough, that we don’t have enough, but if we purchase this product then we will be and have just that. The stark futility of