I live close to a Best Buy retail store, and every so often, I see a line outside the store of people lining up to get the latest gadget.
Now, I am all for cool electronics (I love my XM!), but spending precious time in order to get stuff??
What is happening to our culture? Why is there a priority placed on the act of consumption?
I buy stuff mostly out of need and efficiency. For instance, XM elimates the need for CDs and saves time on music selection. What the people waiting at a store after hours tells me is that we now have created a need to consume. Rather than consume to satisfy other needs, the act of buying something has gained importance as a value.
Whoa! That is alarming because consumption is not an intrinsic need. The act of consumption satsifes a personal urge, and that's it. There isn't any positive externalities. When someone buys an object, that transaction satisfies the consumer's internal urge. The act of consumption then served its purpose.
It's time that we make more conscious choices as a world in how we spend our money and time. Let's learn more about each other and ourselves. Let's buy wholesome food and support local farmers. Let's recycle and save Planet Earth.
I am stingy with my time and money because I want to do more with my life and change the world.
In comparison, in the time that the people waiting for the Wii were in line, I supported six farmers at the Farmers' Market. All these people did was stood around in the cold while I bought groceries for the entire week...
