☮ Be The Change: Consumer-Based Society ☮

As a general whole, we live in a very Negative Society. Most of us are actually aware of this, but that is often as far as the thought process goes. For those that don't already, we must start asking; Why? What we can change? What we can do?

The problem routes to the biggest downfall of humankind; Money. It is always about Money. If you look at any problem in the world I guarantee it will route back to the almighty Dollar. 

What's wrong with this? 

It has equalled a loss of ethics, of compassion, of equality, of respect for our planet and of ourselves. Our Wars, our destructive greed for oil, our raping the lands for resources, our incredibly unhealthy diets, all the cheap products and over manufacturing, all of these "Things"; they're all a result from the money-makers with dollar signs in their eyes. 

Economy is placed over Ecology. We may choose to ignore it, but this simply doesn't work. And all these economic crashes are proof of just that. Global Warming is another. But if there is money to be made in anything, the survival of our planet and ourselves, our health, wildlife, anything crucial to life is disregarded without a second thought. All for Things that we simply do not need and, ultimately, for money money money. 

It's not entirely our faults though. No, I'm not saying don't take responsibility--we are all responsible for becoming the solution and Not part of the problem. But our Society is built on a very powerful system of constant advertising and subliminal messages thrown in our faces on a continual basis to make us believe that we Need to buy things to make us happy. That we Need to buy things to make us beautiful. That we Need to buy things to make us socially accepted. Our Economy relies on your dissatisfaction with yourself and with life, and then your temporary satisfaction or "high" when you buy something new; something that usually becomes forgotten in anywhere from a day to maybe a couple of months until the next new Thing comes out on the market. 

If you were perfectly Happy with yourself, with life, and with what you already have then your need for consumerism would become very minimal. Our Society can't have this. Our Society Needs you to Need Things. Our entire world is based on these principles. If you actually start paying close attention to everything around you, you will see just how embedded into our lives consumerism is. Holidays are based on consumerism. Children's toys teach them at a young age that you need things. I'm not just talking about the buying of toys, but the toys themselves. Just look at Barbie. TV shows and movies teach us these same principles in one form or another. Magazines, billboards, everywhere and anything you will find these messages, you literally can't escape them. Consumerism is all around us, Everywhere!  

The other downfall of the system is this; if you Don't want to be a greedy consumer, you are practically frowned upon. Your social status becomes in question. The people around you think you're weird. Our society is built on this system of consumerism being so incredibly normal and embedded in our lives that we wouldn't think to question it. But people are beginning to more and more. And so what do you do when the rest of the world is not quite there? Be strong and stick to your principles! Be confident in YourSelf and in your Choices. Most people aren't confident in themselves, they're not really given the chance to discover themselves because our Society is there to distract them from actually Being. Our Society makes us believe that we Are the Things that we buy. Our Society makes you believe that you can find Happiness and your Self by buying things. But materialism truly means nothing at the end of the day. It does not bring Happiness,  it does not bring a greater sense of Self or self-worth. They are Distractions, to keep you Needing and Wanting. And it is a "Comfortable Blanket" so to speak, one that makes you not really want to leave it, but on the other hand never finding true happiness in it either. But you will keep searching for happiness in it because that's what you are made to believe. But we find our Selves and Happiness when we move Away from these greedy talons. And I'm talking about pure unreasonable Happiness, not that temporary "High" or what some of us think is happiness. We find genuine Happiness when we can learn to be happy with what we already have, when we learn to love ourselves as we are, when we embrace nature and connect with it instead of abusing it. 

It is no secret that this Neediness and Greed is destroying our Health, our Happiness, our sense of Self, our Environment, and our Homes. 

It is no big secret that our world is now based on Consumerism. It began after World War II to keep the Economy functioning after an economy based on war. Best quoted by Victor Lebow, an economist and retailing anylyst, published in 1955: 

"Our enormously productive economy demands that we make consumption our way of life, that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfactions, our ego satisfactions, in consumption. The measure of social status, of social acceptance, of prestige, is now to be found in our consumptive patterns. The very meaning and significance of our lives today is expressed in consumptive terms. The greater the pressures upon the individual to conform to safe and accepted social standards, the more he does he tend to express his aspirations and his individuality in terms of what he wears, drives, eats--his home, his car, his pattern of food serving, his hobbies. 

These commodities and services must be offered to the consumer with a special urgency. We require not only “forced draft” consumption, but “expensive” consumption as well. We need things consumed, burned up, worn out, replaced, and discarded at an ever increasing pace. We need to have people eat, drink, dress, ride, live, with ever more complicated and, therefore, constantly more expensive consumption. The home power tools and the whole “do-it-yourself” movement are excellent examples of “expensive” consumption." 

We know and feel deep down that there is something most certainly wrong with our current way of life. It's time for a Change. Let's be the revolution. Let's move into a world where we live harmoniously; with our planet and with our fellow selves. There is no need for Greed and Hate. 

Let's be Loving and caring. Let's enjoy Nature over our television screen. Let's be Happy! 

Let's start thinking before we impulsively Buy. Do you really need that? Is it fair-trade? Earth-friendly? Is it Local? Who and What are you supporting when you Buy? Choose better options--they are Always out there. 

Let's be the Generation that Thinks, instead of mindlessly Consumes. Let's place love and relationships and experiences over Things that distract us from truly Living. 

Let's "Be the Change you wish to see in the world." 

Peace & Love,

xo

~Bianca   

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