Do You Like To Shop?

Consumerism

This concept of consumerism - buying more because you have to, first began in Victorian times when people started having time for leisure and when industrialism allowed the mass production of various items. And now it’s a literal runaway train.

Now we get told, unless we buy newer, better, bigger etc; we cannot possibly be happy.

The media whips us into such a frenzy with the “must haves” and the sales, and the strategically placed “specials days” throughout the year, that there have even been reports of people being trampled to death in the quest to be the first through the door to save $50 off a fridge! ( Yes this happened to a Wallmart employee several years ago -  I actually don’t know what was on sale at the time) 

The introduction of the credit card, layby, zippay and afterpay certainly has only fuelled the fire .

So why do we like to shop? Pure and simply, it releases a dopamine surge when we do so. And it affects some more than others. It is actually a lot to do with your genes and whether you have dopamine readily available in the brain. So we buy, we get our dopamine reward, then we get our credit card bill and we get depressed – then we shop again to make us feel good. Etc etc. And like all nervous pathways, the more we use them, the more they grow. 

 Think of paths in the forest – the more you walk a certain path, the easier it is to walk it as the grass get trampled, the road gets firmer and obstacles are removed. Our nervous systems are no different. This is the premiss about mindfulness and meditation after all. So the more we shop, the more our “shopping pathways” cause that dopamine hit.

And the retailers know every trick in the book to help nurture and feed it. 

But it is not only destroying many of us, but our planet as well

The developing world is catching up and billions have discovered that shopping gives them joy. The internet is freely available in the poorest of countries and cheap stuff from China is becoming ubiquitous worldwide, this has led to an unprecedented increase in global consumerism as billions join the frenzy.

According to the National Geographic  : “Approximately 1.7 billion people worldwide now belong to the "consumer class"—the group of people characterized by diets of highly processed food, desire for bigger houses, more and bigger cars, higher levels of debt, and lifestyles devoted to the accumulation of non-essential goods”.

On the up-side – it has created jobs, but at a great cost; we are now utilising resources at an alarming rate.

Last year, the world reached the critical point where global human-made mass exceeds all living biomass on the planet. Since 2017, there are actually more humans living in an urban environment than in nature. 

That last point may actually be the critical one – it is this disconnect with nature that has now changed society to one that actually has no idea what it is doing to the planet.

Our need for more stuff is having a devastating effect on global water supplies, pollution, oil consumption, other natural resources and of course ecosystems. The plastics in the oceans are now ubiquitous in all of the creatures as well as even the most remote and pristine of spots. Microplastics are even polluting our internal environments – they are now also found in the wombs of pregnant mammals including us. 

Most environmental issues can indeed be linked with consumerism

And despite what we think – it is mucking with our heads – you only have to check out all the relaxation clips etc and they all show us beautiful natural scenes alongside soothing music. Consumerism is like a leaky bucket – we constantly need to have that bucket refilled

 So how do we fix this?

•  The challenge is to actually make anti-consumerism joyful and turn THAT into an artform. Essentially get your high from somewhere else!!

•  Feel good in yourself about becoming more sustainable (because the Earth is at the thin edge of the wedge right now) 

•  Refuse to fuel that system which is exploiting all of us, our nature and our earth. It is still the poorest countries with the most lax environmental laws that pump out most things we buy.

• Wake up every morning with the affirmation in your head – “today I will choose not to buy what I don’t need”. Every morning – eventually this really helps. 

• Even if you love shopping – eventually you will realise that it really isn’t doing you any favours – those retailers want to make money – end of story – they are NOT your friend, despite the lovely music and great décor of their stores etc.  Work hard to only go to the store if you absolutely need to – never if you are bored, or hungry, or sad. This is a recipe for disaster. If this is you – draw up a contingency plan; “ Things that I like to do instead of shop” 

• Buy local; Initially, this may seem more expensive. But not only will you be supporting your local economy, you will undoubtably be getting better quality that lasts longer. The more we all do this, the more achievable becomes. You will feel good about using less fuel to transport goods and less packaging (recently there has been a big movement for certain large internet online shopping companies to reduce their appalling use of plastic). 

• What else to you love to do? Getting out in nature is always a good start.  How about teaching yourself to draw, or garden? Or take a cooking class if you are not outdoorsy. Cooking is still a great way to connect with nature as you use the products of Mother Nature after all. And  you can always read a book, or do a puzzle, or play a board game with the family.      

• Try and go low plastic – it certainly would be impossible to go zero plastic – I am typing this blog on a plastic computer!! But choose to use re-usable bags and containers, make a conscious effort to purchase at stores that use less packaging – less transport = less bubble wrap! Buy foods from markets and stores that allow re-fillable containers – they are available. Ironically this is how our generations shopped before us and it seemed to work for millennia!

• Try the op shop for fashion – cheaper, recycled and you are helping out others who may need some help. Great dopamine hit right there. 

• Try and have a vegetarian meal once per week – our increasing desire for meat is right up there. And don’t be duped into thinking that stuff the supermarkets are now trying to sell you as “Vegan” is healthy: This is actually so highly processed, our gut bugs can’t even recognise some of it! Think real veggies, pasta, rice and pulses! 

• Watch less TV – anything advertised is designed to lull us into thinking that we need to buy it.

We could all take a leaf out of Eddie Vedder’s book in his song “Society”

Lets be part of that revolution

“It's a mystery to me
We have a greed with which we have agreed
You think you have to want more than you need
Until you have it all you won't be free

Society, you're a crazy breed
I hope you're not lonely without me

When you want more than you have
You think you need
And when you think more than you want
Your thoughts begin to bleed

I think I need to find a bigger place
'Cause when you have more than you think
You need more space

Society, you're a crazy breed
I hope you're not lonely without me
Society, crazy and deep
I hope you're not lonely without me

There's those thinking more or less, less is more
But if less is more how you're keeping score?
Means for every point you make your level drops
Kinda like it's starting from the top, you can't do that

Society, you're a crazy breed
I hope you're not lonely without me
Society, crazy and deep
I hope you're not lonely without me

Society, have mercy on me
I hope you're not angry if I disagree
Society, crazy and deep
I hope you're not lonely without me”