Obey. Consume. Repeat

The season of giving and receiving is upon us and I would like to touch on a rather controversial topic, which could be very appropriate or very inappropriate to talk about at this time of year. None the less a little food for though never hurt anyone.

Consumerism.

"Consumerism is a social and economic order that encourages the purchase of goods and services in ever-greater amounts"

In the UK alone we produce over 100 million tonnes of waste a year. (1 tonne is about the weight of a small car). Not only is this extremely detrimental to the environment we live in, but most of our waste is dumped in third world countries where other people are made to suffer the consequences of polluted air amongst other issues. So why are we throwing so much away?, or better still why are we consuming so much?

Materialism has come to dominate family life as parents who spend long hours away from their kids due to work etc . Aimlessly shop for their kids, when in reality children have said that spending time with their families is what truly makes them happy.
 

"British parents are confining their children in a cycle of "compulsive consumerism" by showering them with toys and designer labels instead of spending quality time with them, a UN report has found."

Sue Palmer, author of the book Toxic Childhood, said: “We are teaching our children, practically from the moment they are born, that the one thing that matters is getting more stuff.

Parents are put under pressure to ensure their children keep up with the latest trends including toys and gadgets. Some have admitted that it is in fear that their children will be bullied. 

Let's take a moment to analyse this, we are being brainwashed into thinking that we need a certain product, that our lives will be better if we buy it. It's no new news that the media controls the majority of our shopping habits and what we do. So not only are we targeted by psychological marketing techniques, we are then made to forget that we are in an economical crisis and that we can still afford to spend hard earned money on useless items, and that if we don't we will be outcasts. 

We then consume all these useless products for ourselves and for our families producing a lot of waste which harms the world we live in. We are made to feel bad if we do not have them and parents are made to feel that they are not good parents if they do not buy certain things for their kids. Christmas is a perfect example of this, as some people even tame out loans to shop expensive labels for presents.

The retail industry is ever-growing and we will never be satisfied as new products are released and trends change. So we are spending money we don't have on items we don't need to impress people we don't know. It's a vicious cycle.

That is why I have decided to convert from what I would consider almost a "shoppaholic" to an anti-consumerist.
It's another way to free my mind. I do not need to be sucked into what the media tells me to do. I do not need to have the latest clothing at all times. 

It is sad that Christmas time is not what it use to be as family members are on laptops or on their phone updating statuses and uploading pictures. I don't want my son to grow up in a household where materialistic items replace the love I can give him. 

For the New Year of 2014 I have to decided to take control of my mind as much as possible. If I can't control my mind I can't control anything I do.