'Tis the Season to Be a Commercial Consumer

It's that time of the year again, and all over the country people are doing more of what they seem to do best: consuming.

The "holiday season" is becoming increasingly disconnected from the religious themes and traditions it has customarily been associated with. While not a big proponent of organized religion myself, I believe that the religion of commercial consumerism is becoming a massive social problem for our country.

Why do we desire material possessions and consumer goods in the first place? For some people, buying new things and even the process of shopping itself is a form of entertainment. Acquiring more possessions has a way of making people feel better, even if this feeling is short-lived. The temporary duration of this positive emotion that you receive after buying something new should alert you that something is wrong. People are turning to material possessions in the misled belief that these things will somehow fill a lack in their lives.

The very process of buying something implies that you were missing it to begin with. The fact of the matter is, modern advertising has us chasing things we simply do not need. They instill beliefs in us that tell us we will somehow be better off after purchasing their products, when this is usually not the case. People need to mobilize themselves into a heightened state of awareness when it comes to consumer culture.

Instead of blindly buying into every ideology presented by every advertising agency representing every corporation on the planet, re-evaluate your priorities. Would you be better off saving the money you are going to spend on a new 62'' plasma HDTV for something a bit more emotionally fulfilling? The answer is most likely yes. A new T.V. may be fun to have, but in the long run, it will do nothing for you except serve as a distraction from bouts of boredom. Focus your energy, and your finances, towards something that will be more rewarding and stimulating.

People often buy something solely for the reason that they believe that the item can serve as an extension of themselves. In other words, they let what they have define who they are. This is an extremely problematic lifestyle to live and one that is for the most part, empty and hollow. Life should be about the meaning that you create within it, not the overall image that is presented to the world by your car and your clothes.

You have to realize and understand that in the end, your possessions will not matter to anyone. Instead, the positive relationships you form with family and friends will be the truly important things.

When I walk through large department stores around this time of year, I see herds of mindless consumers wandering the aisles with blank expressions on their faces, as if they are on autopilot. Society seems to have been transformed into a homogenous, unthinking mass of consumers with no semblance of recognition of the truly important matters in their lives. Furthermore, in order to make the money to buy these possessions, people sacrifice their mental and physical health by slaving away 40 hours per week at jobs that do not satisfy them, but are merely a means to a consumer end.

Your job should not be a vessel of financial gain in your life. While this is certainly an important aspect, understand your job is what you will be devoting your energy to day in and day out. If it something that is wholly unfulfilling, or even worse, something that you actively dislike, all of the fancy clothes, electronics, and cars in the world aren't going to make you feel better about your life.

Contemplate the universal truth that all of us will someday die. Then ask yourself if you want your days on earth to be spent chasing material goods that have been assigned arbitrary value by advertising.

Sure, there are plenty of consumer goods out there that probably willaffect your quality of life for the better. Occasionally, there's something out there that you might not necessarily need, but would love to have. Go ahead and indulge from time to time. Moderation in all things should be the guideline. Pay more attention to friends and family and then worry about how you can secure and enjoy certain products. Do not let consumerism consume you.