Fujinami 1

Shun Fujinami
Ben Smuin\A10
Paper #4: The Manifesto
November 29, 2016
Finding Individual Happiness
The human race as a whole is making progressions in improving the general well-being
of citizens and raising the standard of living. While we make strides in tangible outcomes of
peoples lives, the pursuit of happiness becomes a deeper endeavor than finding sustenance in
order to survive. Prior to modern day amenities and commodities, the pursuit of happiness was
bound to seeking food and shelter. Happiness has transcended basic needs of the flesh, and has
become a much more complicated matter of the mind and soul. Finding happiness can be a noble
goal in the eyes of a modern day citizen, however the expectations of leading a fulfilling life are
straying further from the bare necessities. Modern, developed society has constructed numerous
ways for people to strive for objectives way beyond the necessary, and bordering on the obscene.
Television marketing, social media, and magazines are just a few ways society promotes
pursuing a life of superficial goods rather than individual substance. Society has become a
money making machine, and distracts people from their true individuality. In the journey to find
happiness, people must learn to live the good life. The good life involves stripping away the
desire for unnecessary material goods, as well as disregarding the pressures applied by society,
and learning to deal with death.
A large driving force of society is the need for money. Money plays a large part in
society, mainly as a tool to provide trading of goods to be standardized, and overall more
convenient for both parties involved. Money also holds a more abstract meaning in society; the
idea of money conveys the possibilities that it holds. Since money can be used to buy anything in
the modern world, just the idea of having money motivates people beyond the norm. These
possibilities in which money can be used leads to consumerism. Consumerism is the stem to

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many societal expectations that pull people astray from leading a fulfilling life. Consumers seek
sensation, novelty, creativity, or religious verification, for in addition to thinking, consumers
daydream and fantasize about the things they purchase (Martin 144). The concept of
consumerism leads people to view purchasing power as more than a necessity to uphold a
standard of living, but rather as a way to satisfy an insatiable fantasy. This sensational purchasing
power leads to companies being able to market useless goods as necessary products. People will
adapt to most of these purchases relatively quickly and will almost never be satisfied with their
purchase for a couple of reasons: (1) they will adjust to it and take it for granted or (2) the market
will expand, introducing new products promised to be even better (Patterson 149). Buying
goods that are unnecessary can seem like a path to happiness, but ultimately it is short-lived
because an unnecessary item has no pragmatic use and falls by the wayside with lack of use.
Items which provide a convenience in necessary tasks can be used for long periods of time and
therefore be a source of long term happiness. The fact that there are necessary items that must be
purchased with money causes unnecessary items to lead to regret. Money spent on unnecessary
items cannot be spent on necessary items.
Another reason consumerism does not lead to long-term happiness is the desire it creates.
Since consumerism is used by companies to make money, the desire for their products must be
never ending. This desire is falsely manufactured by marketing techniques exploited by the
companies, and their goal is to keep recreating this desire with every new product that is
released. This endless desire cannot be fulfilled, and therefore happiness cannot be found in the
midst of consumerism. New products are constantly being produced with ways of enticing a
buyer to spend their money in search of immediate, short-term happiness. Desire is a concept
that the texts of Buddhism discusses regularly; specifically the dangers of holding on to desires.
Not getting what one wants and strives for is suffering (25, Strong). Having these desires is a

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direct result of suffering according to the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism. In the search of
happiness it is important to let go of desires and thus limiting the amount of suffering. Within the
teachings of Buddhism the Middle Way, between the extremes of indulgence and asceticism
(25, Strong), is taught as a path towards enlightenment. This path falls in line with discounting
consumerism, since fulfilling ones superficial desires would be an act of indulgence and lead
towards more suffering. The Bhagavad-Gita also touches on how short term indulgence ends up
being detrimental. The joy that is passionate at first seems like ambrosia when senses encounter
sense objects, but in the end it is like poison (Miller). These texts both carry a common theme
that shuns the need for desires of worldly desires in order to achieve bliss. These teachings still
carry the same weight in todays society, and these messages should still be observed. Happiness
in the modern day should be found without the need for materialistic goods.
In the eyes of some, consumerism is a positive phenomenon in America. According to
Philip Kotler, Consumerism will be beneficial. On the whole, it promises to make the U.S.
economic system more responsive to new and emerging societal needs (Kotler). Kotler argues
that consumerism leads the market to be fueled by the needs of the general public by the basic
laws of supply and demand. With large masses of people voting for the product of their choice by
purchasing power, businesses are bound to serve the will of the people in order to turn a profit.
However, this is an idealistic situation that does not always occur in real life situations where
there are many more variables at play. Consumerism has become linked with the irrational
feeling of bliss that comes from fantasizing about purchasing goods, and leads to the majority of
consumers to overlook the flaws of the product. This series of irrational decision making
undermines Kotlers argument for the benefits of consumerism. Kotlers article relies on
consumers to make purchases with a pragmatic mindset and not be led astray by the emotions of
purchasing goods. Unfortunately writings by Martin say otherwise, consumers are irrational

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researchers posit that goods somehow provide pleasure and hedonism (144, Martin). As people
are swayed by their impulse to purchase goods, they are led astray from the pursuit of the good
life.
Consumerism should be avoided not only for personal benefit, but also as a benefit to all
people in todays society. Post-war America became an uncontested powerhouse in the world,
and led the a massive economic boom. Since that time American culture has emboldened
consumerism, and thus consumerism fuels the American economy. During times of economic
upturn, the wealthy can live a life of abundance, and more likely venturing into ostentatious.
These spending habits has consequences for people as a whole however, a culture in which the
urge to consume dominates the psychology of citizens is a culture in which people will do most
anything to acquire the means to consumeworking slavish hours, behaving rapaciously in their
business pursuits, and even bending the rules in order to maximize their earnings. They will also
buy homes beyond their means and think nothing of running up credit-card debt. It therefore
seems safe to say that consumerism is, as much as anything else, responsible for the current
economic mess (Etzioni). The recession in the late 2000s can be seen as a direct result of
excessive consumerism, and the benefits of moving away from consumerism do not stop there.
Without a high rate of consumption, waste would also start to decrease and lead to a more
environmentally friendly society (Etzioni). All these benefits will eventually lead to an entire
culture of people striving towards the good life. Citizens would feel a sense of purpose as they
build a stronger foundation for the economy as whole. This long lasting goal will continue to
give people joy as it transcends short-term personal gain. The environmental benefits would also
improve the standard of living by leading to cleaner air to breath and cleaner water to drink.
These broader benefits to rejecting the consumerism culture of today will lead to the good life of
the future.

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As people who are part of society and the culture indoctrinated into their peers, it can
become easy to fall to societal pressures and please others without considering each others
individuality. Many people try to seek happiness by simply following how society portrays the
good life, as opposed to trying to seek the answer for themselves. The Bhagavad-Gita tells the
tale of Arjuna, and how he deals with a concept similar to this Better to do ones own duty
imperfectly than to do another mans well (Miller). In the Bhagavad-Gita, Arjuna is told by the
deity named Krishna that one of the most important things a man can achieve is to fulfill his
dharma, or personal duty. Each persons duty differs from one another, and these teachings can
be applied to modern day life. People should look inward towards their selves in order to find
happiness. When a man finds delight within himself and feels inner joy and pure contentment in
himself, there is nothing more to be done (Miller). This short passage from the Bhagavad-Gita
reveals the simplest path to true happiness. A person will not find happiness when looking
outward towards other peoples, or societys expectations; instead, one must seek happiness
within him/her selves, and strive towards his/her own personal goals. The good life is a life of
personal joy, and this must be pursued in a manner that disregards outside pressures.
The first change people must make in order to find happiness is to recognize the role
consumerism plays in our society. Wanting to buy certain goods can lead to fulfilling life, so long
as those goods have a pragmatic purpose. People should learn to distinguish what a products real
life use will be in order to determine whether the item will become useless in the near future.
With disposable income only spent on items that can hold long term use, people will be more
satisfied with the use of their money, and reduce buyers remorse. Cutting back on consumerism
will also have larger effects for the human race as a whole. Waste would be significantly
decreased with people only buying products that can have long term use, as well as less products
will be bought overall. With consumerism being evaluated properly, an individual will have one

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less expectation that they are trying to live up to. This change in lifestyle can ultimately lead to a
deeper sense of fulfillment and happiness in life.
After removing consumerism from ones personal agenda, the path towards happiness
involves finding an inner individual goal to strive towards. The good life should be achieved by
relieving all superficial desires that are implanted by society. Societal pressures can cause people
to strive towards goals which are held by others and not by themselves. When people are pushed
towards a lifestyle that does not match their own individuality the goal of achieving true
happiness is undermined. The good life must be pursued with a sense of independence and
disregard for outside pressures. Superficial expectations which are set by society should be shed
in order to lead a fulfilling life. Letting go of the desire to fit in will lead to a more fulfilling
happiness since the individual will be ultimately trying to please themselves instead of trying to
please others. This idea of pursuing an individual goal is also mentioned by Lord Krishna to
Arjuna in the Bhagavad-Gita, look to your own duty; do not tremble before it; nothing is better
for a warrior than a battle of sacred duty (Miller). In this instance, Arjuna is a warrior that must
carry his personal duty to battle. In todays modern day society, a person must seek his/her own
duty to fulfill and then fulfilling it will lead to the good life. A personal duty can be equivalent to
a persons own inner individual goals that they set for themselves. Although it is lacking in
grandeur compared to Arjunas duty, it is still just as noble. Seeking individual goals can be a
noble cause worthy of the good life.
Understanding the pursuit of a living a fulfilling life also consists of dealing with the end
of that life. Death is an inevitable result of life. Many religions have different methods of coping
with death. Buddhism views death as part of a cycle in which a person is reborn after death until
they have reached enlightenment and escaped the cycle. Teachings from the Bhagavad-Gita also
speak of death and rebirth. Death is certain for anyone born, and birth is certain for the dead;

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since the cycle is inevitable, you have no cause to grieve! (Miller). Christianity deals with death
with the belief of an afterlife. When a person dies, they are judged by God based on the actions
during their life, and proceed to an appropriate eternal afterlife. All these teachings have the
inevitability of death in common. These beliefs about death have a bearing on how people live
their lives. Ultimately, people fear death, or the events that occur after death, and can be dictated
by the thought of death. The good life should not be affected by death. In order to achieve
happiness, the thought of death should not bear weight on the actions that are taken during life.
Death can be understood as an inevitability, but there is no point in worrying about it before or
after it occurs. In terms of thoughts towards ones own death, it is more important to think about
events that can be affected by personal decisions. Inner happiness is more likely to be achieved if
the person is conscious of the decisions he/she makes and is happy with them. Dealing with the
death of others is similar in the way that it is still inevitable, and people let go to their desires to
control death. The premeditation of death is the premeditation of liberty; he who has learned to
die, has unlearned to serve (113, de Montaigne). Montaigne writes that the fear of death
enslaves mankind, and to accepting death results in freedom. This philosophy on accepting death
is in alignment with living the good life and achieving true happiness within.
With consumerism being thrown to the wayside, and material goods becoming little more
than pragmatic tools people can begin a noble path towards happiness and live the good life. The
economics on consumerism in America must be exposed so that people will realize it only leads
to a wasteful, unfulfilling life. The good life must also be lived without the pressures of living up
to societys expectations. Each person must find his/her individual goals, and pursue them in
order to achieve true inner happiness. This journey towards happiness must also not be
overshadowed by the fear of death. Although death is inevitable, it must not be allowed to
change the path a person takes during his/her life. These are the steps that lead to living the good

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life, and ultimate happiness in the modern world. Society can move forward together with these
common goals of living the good life and modern society will see a shift toward a community
that is overwhelmingly happy. The standard of living of each individual will also increase and
everyone can find their own good life.

Works Cited
De Montaigne, Michel. That To Study Philosophy is to Learn to Die. Charles Cotton, trans.
Retrieved from http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl302/texts/montaigne/messays_contents.html
Etzioni, Amitai. Spent: America After Consumerism. The New Republic. June 2009. pp. 20-23.
https://ssrn.com/abstract=2274248
Kotler, Philip. What Consumerism Means to Marketers. Harvard Business Review. 1972.
50(3): 48-57.
Martin, Ann Smart. Makers, Buyers, and Users: Consumerism as a Material Culture
Framework. Winterthur Portfolio, vol. 28, no. 2/3, 1993, pp. 141157.
www.jstor.org/stable/1181525.
Miller, Barbara Stoler. The Bhagavad-Gita. New York: Bantam Books, 1986.
Patterson, Lindsey, and Biswas-Diener, Robert. "Consuming Happiness." The Good Life in a
Technological Age, edited by Philip Brey, Adam Briggle, and Edward Spence, Routledge,
2012, pp. 147-156.
Strong, John S., ed. Realizing the Four Nobel Truths, The Acceptance of Women in the
Order, The Conversion of Patacara, and Making and Sharing Merit. The Experience

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of Buddhism: Sources and Interpretations. Wadsworth Publishing, 1995. 32-34, 52-59,
79-80.