Middle-Class Couples In France Vs. Machiguenga Indians Of Peru

It is a question of quality vs. quantity. Does the consumption of as many things as possible lead us to that happiness we all so desperately desire? And as technology develops and production becomes more efficient, does that mean we now have more free time to relax and enjoy life? Two views are suggested in this article; the first being ours, to never be satisfied with what you have and always strive for more, the second is called the Buddhist view, to be at peace with what is and learn to be satisfied with less.

It is a comparison of the simple life seen as nasty, brutish and short vs. the developed life of ease, affluence and marvel. When looking at the differences between middle-class couples in France and Machiguenga Indians of Peru along the Amazon, most of us would find it difficult to see the Machiguenga as being more affluent. The Machiguenga grow food in gardens, hunt, fish, and collect wild plants. They share similar male/female workloads as the French couples. The Machiguenga enjoy a wide variety of foods producing double the amount needed for daily consumption. They are a peaceful people, enjoy good humor, have a close relationship with nature and are especially known for their high integrity. They also place no pressure on time and each task is allotted as much time as needed.
Studies were done to compare how each group spends its time.
Time was broken down into three groups, production time (work), consumption time (using what was produced, eating, leisure), and free time (relaxation, sleeping, talking amongst). The study found that the French worked more hours, consumed more hours and had much less free time. The end conclusion of the study was that modern technology has not resulted in less work and especially not more free
time.

One might argue that our consumption time has increased our quality of life and that if there were a better way we would have figured it out already. I would say this is not true and in fact the consumption of goods has an effect of crowding our time, leaving us with a feeling that life is short and we should be hurrying to consume more. This creates a desire to always want more, see more, and get more. Socialization becomes lost as it is seen as economically unproductive (ex. both parents working to pay for daycare) and an increased amount of time is spent in caring for and maintaining the goods that we consume.

With billions of dollars being spent on advertising each year, and steadily increasing, I think the question should be asked, do we really need so much crap; or have the producers themselves created the demand? Another question that begs to be asked is what kind of relationship has our desire for comfort created with not only our environment but also the rest of the world? Are we simply a society that produces to consume and consumes to produce, has our free time become a waste of time? I should hope to not be a part of this kind of society, one that acts like an animal waiting to be slaughtered.

My advice is this - beware of thinking your way is right simply because its your way or the way you were taught. Learn to be self-aware and what it means to be in the world and not of the world.