The Postmodern Lifestyle It is a clich by now to say that we live in a postmodern world.

To label your contribution as post- is a guarantee for relevance , attention and success. We often hear the expression, postmodern trends being applied to various aspects of our everyday life; however to strait-jacket this contemporary phenomenon into a concrete definition is a difficult task. Most commentators agree that there is a cluster of features which characterizes the contemporary culture and when taken together, can be called postmodernism. Postmodernism is rightly associated with a society where the consumeristic lifestyles dominate the lives of the people. In an all consuming society nothing escapes the juggernauts of commodification. Everything is saleable; even, people adopt the characteristics of the commodity, creating themselves as marketable personalities in order to compete successfully in a market economy! We no longer conform to the old traditions; instead we choose a lifestyle to express our individuality. The era of mass conformity and similarity has been replaced by apparently endless choices; a glance at our lifestyle, accessories, clothing, entertainments etc., would be enough to get a feel of it. People are becoming more and more brand conscious and those who can afford it, look for designed products in keeping with their liking. It gives a sense of identity and offers a chance to feel comfortable with what pleases oneself. The common understanding is that they are not just fashion victims, rather they actively choose such fittings or objects, and in doing so they feel that they are able to express and define themselves. Life in the cities is centered on new swish malls that combine shopping, entertainment, gaming and food courts. They are changing the spending habits, consumption patterns and leisure time of the common folk. As the ad goes, the malls are selling an experience and on seasons we get happiness at 50% off! To a lay person, the world of consumption seems, on the surface, to be quite free. One picks up what ever one wants if one has got enough money to spend. Quite rational! Nevertheless, as Baudrillard says, there is a hidden irrationality behind this type of shopping spree! Commodities are more often purchased as an expression and mark of style, prestige, luxury and power. In fact, in a consumeristic society, when we purchase a commodity we are actually consuming signs floated by the market and in the process, 1

define ourselves. When we purchase a Mercedes, we are not purchasing merely a car that satisfies our need, rather we are procuring what it signifies: better status, a feeling that I am different from the next door neighbor Consumption is not just consuming alone, but communicating too. We are communicating a number of things to others including to what groups we do and do not belong. Others know this language - what it means to wear Levis jeans or show off a Louis Vuitton handbag ; or what it means to have membership in a luxury club or to belong to a posh housing society . Perhaps another very noticeable area is the focus on body maintenance. Fashion and style magazines are flooded with columns on body maintenance how the nose can be reshaped, wrinkles removed, face lifted, fat siphoned out, breasts augmented or reduced.the dictum is that in a competitive world it is not enough to be just ordinary . We are all encouraged to approach more nearly to the ideal of youthful bodily perfection. Cosmetic surgeons and fashion markets, with the support of the media, have created a new health discourse. The healthiness of the body has come to be associated with appearance. An ageing body is a cause of anxiety; and obesity and a non-exercised body is a source of shame and ridicule. New diet gurus and health talks on TVs, legitimize such anxieties and phobias. To that extent, many people who belong to high profile clubs play games not for the sake of enjoying it, but to burn their extra calories; it has become work outs and not play outs. With greater disposable incomes now available, people are tempted to splurge on quick fix answers such as cosmetic surgery or high-tech gyms. As a result, Slim-centers and cosmetic clinics are mushrooming in cities and small towns. Magic promises like pop a pill, skip a meal, slim down and stay young, or Look Young! Iron out your Wrinkles are common place. What is worse is the growing fascination among children to look good and to wear designer outfits at the cost of their natural innocence. Parents even encourage their children to undergo surgery to enhance their appearance. A recent report in India Today (June 25,2007) shows that the overall market size for kids (12-16 years) in urban India is close to Rs.15000 crores, and growing at 25-30 percent a year. Though humankind has always desired better health, greater beauty and a longer life, it has not sought this at the expense of the other more substantial aspects of life. 2

Another unique feature of post modernism is the proliferation of electronic gadgets. The new technologies are modes of information and entertainment and it is becoming harder and harder to separate them . Miniaturization and commercialization of computers is already changing the way in which information and entertainment are acquired, classified, made available and exploited. Previous forms of entertainment are rapidly being absorbed within the Internet, and the computer is coming to be the major household appliance and source of entertainment, information, play, communication, and connection with the outside world. Certainly, it bridges our boundaries and brings in new experiences. The accessibility of competing information at the click of a mouse or remote button and the practicality of wishing your friend hve a gr8 yr through SMS and the avalanche of mobile services, including more unsavory services like pornography and gambling can be very tempting. Naturally it shortens our span of attention; no one has patience for anything long. This is exactly what happens when we turn on our TV or computer. The television becomes like a magazine where we flick the pages just looking at the pictures. We never complete a program, but rather hop from channel to channel; the same with the CD programs, which we play on our computers. CDs allow us to watch movies as we read books. We can interrupt our reading to deal with other things and then return. The compact disc gives us the freedom to play back/forward or freeze the frame or switch over to another track It is not a mere coincidence that this same dimension of discontinuity begins to be reflected in our family relations and job commitments as well. It is an endless search for novelty. No relationship is made to be cherished for long. Just like the CD programs, we hop from one track to the other. That is however, increasingly becoming the acceptable norm of the day. A consumerist society persuades everyone to believe that a life of luxury and happiness is open to all, that anyone can buy the sparkling objects on display and consume the spectacle of entertainment and information. But in reality only those with sufficient wealth can fully enjoy the benefits of this society, whose extravagance is extracted out of the lives and dreams of the exploited. The poor who cannot afford to live out their

consumeristic fantasies to the full, are motivated to work harder and harder until they are trapped in the vicious circle of working and spending, spending and working. The latest buzz words in our church academic circle are: option for the poor, marginalized, solidarity with, exposure programmes All are various nuances of the same idea. It seems to me that what makes these buzz words and phrases popular is that life in the religious houses being so secure, a little exposure to poverty-talks makes it interesting. It often happens that an emphasis on option for the poor is combined with the celebration of excess and indulgence. This too is a lifestyle, a perfect postmodern lifestyle, where contradictory messages can be believed and simultaneously followed. It does not matter either way. To live in dissonance is just normal in a postmodern world. Have we forgotten to listen and see ? We only hear, look and stare at endless discouraging emptiness. Fr. Antony Puthussery SVD KPRP, Bhopal