Today’s society has a major problem with materialism. We humans have certain needs in life. We need nutrition to keep our system going, clothes to keep us warm and shelter over our heads. Once these three fundamental human needs are fulfilled one may think that we should be content with our current position in life, but we are not. This is because of the human mind’s ability to grow accustomed to its current state, raising the bar of the state of well-being to a new level. As a consequence of this we keep wanting more and more, even though we have got everything that we require.
Consumption does not necessarily have to be something negative, but when consumption tangents the line of overconsumption is where a problem arises. You no longer consume because of need; you do it because of sheer pleasure. This is where the problem lies – people using shopping as a hobby.
You may ask yourself “Why is this such a horrible phenomenon?”. Firstly, it most likely has a negative impact on the environment. When you purchase something, no matter what the item is, it presumably has been shipped all over the surface of the earth. As we all know transportation, especially by plane, pollutes the air and contributes to the greenhouse effect. Secondly, on a less global scale, you quite simply do not disburse your earnings in the most favorable manner possible. If your shopping gets out of hand you might even get in economical and perchance legal trouble, which would affect your life majorly.
If I were to ask a young child about what they value the most in life I am convinced that they would answer something along the lines of “A family member.” or something that they enjoy spending their time doing. If I were to ask a teenager or an adult the same question I am sure that at least some of the answers would be something similar to “Money!”. What I wanted to have said by the statements above is that materialism is not, at least not fully, something that we are born into. Materialism is something that we adapt by time, via indoctrination by the media and our surroundings.
In conclusion: there are other aspects to life which bring happiness than consumption, which in most cases only brings temporary happiness. Pursuing shopping as a hobby is not viable in the long run if you wish to stay happy and economically volatile.
What are your thoughts on the subject? Leave a comment!
Oops! I forgot to contradict myself by asking you guys to upvote this post ;)