Maybe I was Worse than i thought!
Today I’m feeling like changing my shopping habit is like quitting nail biting. There was this thing I used to do, and it felt really good at the time, maybe it relieved stress, and it didn’t hurt anyone, but maybe it had a bigger impact on my life than I thought.
Note: I’m not an avid nail biter, bit I do sometimes yank at my cuticles. Eww! It’s so awful!
When it comes to shopping, my problem became the lack of thought. Want a new throw pillow? GRAB IT. Feel like wearing a new t-shirt instead of an old one? CLICK. It will arrive in 2-3 business days. Eager to try magnetic fake eyelashes because a mom on Instagram said they were THE BEST? BOOP. They magically arrive.
a new realization
The longer I go without shopping, the more I feel like I have been dialed into a culture in which I am so heavily ingrained, I didn’t even notice.
That is the realization that scares me. I’ve been acting before thinking.
Even worse than that is when my thinking can justify a bad choice. When over-shopping is a GREAT IDEA.
This is what led me to research a term I never heard of before: Consumer Culture.
what is consumer culture?
What is Consumer Culture? Have you heard this term before? In completely not my own words, here is one definition:
“Consumer culture refers to a society in which buying and owning goods and services is a central aspect of social life, influencing values, activities, and identity. It’s a culture driven by the desire for new things and technological advancements. It is also a system in which identity and social status are partly constructed through the things purchased and consumed.”
To take this idea a little further, consider Kerryn Higgs article on Consumer Culture. She writes:
“Our enormously productive economy demands that we make consumption our way of life, that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfaction, our ego satisfaction, in consumption.… We need things consumed, burned up, replaced and discarded at an ever-accelerating rate.”
I don’t know about you, but this definition seems to depict the US. I feel like I have been a part of this culture.
seeing a change
The more I refrain from buying, the harder it is to validate my previous behavior. It felt so natural to spend and buy and buy and spend that I never even questioned what I was doing.
My blog site has always been geared toward wellness, intention, and seeking peace. Over the years, I have learned to breathe. I’ve made space for yoga and meditation. I’ve silenced the monkey mind, that endless chatter that makes me feel less-than and wholly incomplete.
But I NEVER considered my consumer behavior as a contributing factor toward my lack of peace.
Now that I’ve had time to really STOP purchasing, my eyes are opening up to new possibilities.
I know there is a middle ground. I know there is a healthy balance in which I can consume at a less alarming rate. I have yet to strike that balance…but I know it’s on its way.
What about you?
What have you learned about yourself this week? Does Consumer Culture sound accurate to you? Or is it just some woo-woo theory? Share your thoughts. Share your peace.
Namaste every day, friends!
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4 the Love of Peace 