Author: Shane C. Morales
Consumerism. What is it? And how does it affect us all on a most basic level? The definition of consumerism is: A social and economic order that is based on the systematic creation and fostering of a desire to purchase goods and services in greater amounts. There you have it, my entire argument in a nutshell.
Credit cards, loans, paydayloans, debt, bad credit, good credit, all of these things are by products of consumerism. Over consumption and consumerism is a global issue, not only here in America, although America is a good example for consumption. We are a nation of over consumers, we over eat, we over drink, we over shop, we over do it, plain and simple. The obesity epidemic is a clear example of how we are a nation consuming more than what we need.
The fact that 75% of Americans are obese, just blows my mind!! I can’t get over it! Think about it for a second. Okay, now that you have thought about it, what do you think? We should not make excuses for obesity, it is not a disease, it is a choice. We could probably feed a small country on a daily basis with the excess food that we consume. The vast array of fast food chains from one stop light to another just makes me sick, temptation is everywhere and gluttony is its’ weakest victim. It’s just plain old unnecessary over consumption.
The facts are clear, over consumption and consumerism are indeed responsible for the millions of credit card debt accumulated in the United States. And people that spend more than they make are at a really high risk of falling into financial devastation. These are just a few of the many reasons why people take out loans, paydayloans, high interest credit cards, and other financing options. Consumerism is largely to blame for the poor economic state of individuals.
Sadly, we are a nation of over-spenders and have been lead to believe that consumerism is a state of happiness, when in turn it is an elusive illusion created by good marketing schemes. They are easy to fall for because we are barraged with images of fancy new cars and new products that make us feel like we need to have them, and now. It’s clever actually. Sometimes I wonder how we have created this world that we live in, and I wonder how differently things would have turned out, if we never created the money system. My thoughts wander now, to a natural state of being, and living on earth as we were meant to. No fast food chains and all, just natural food from the earth as it was intended. Oh well, that is a far out dream and I digress completely, but it fun to ponder the idea, isn’t it?
Although consumerism and over consumption is a global problem, the sad fact is that America is largely responsible for most of the world’s consumption problem. If that doesn’t open your eyes to a serious problem, then I don’t know what will. It’s time that we all begin to play our part in making a change. The world population is 6.7 Billion people, the earth does not have enough resources to sustain us, and yet we live here completely oblivious to these facts. Wake up people!
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