An Alternative to Increasing Consumerism, Consumption, and Commercialism William Ng While I rarely pay much attention to advertisements directed at women,

Ive gained an increased awareness due to several of my courses this semester. This had led to many philosophical inquiries of the basic premises of my perception of my world. From these inquiries Ive reformed my thinking of the modern world and the false pretenses our society presents upon us. In my daily observations I frequently witness individuals whose lives revolve around conforming to Western societal norms. It is also easy to depict their artificial happiness, masking their inner turmoil and lack of satisfaction. This led to my questions about the realities of Western society and if there were any alternatives. The heart of Western society is consumerism, consumption, and commercialism. My passion is in reforming current trends of increasingly outlandish and unjustifiable behaviors and thoughts in Western society. Therefore, I propose that simple living, a minimalistic lifestyle, is an adequate alternative to increasing consumerism, consumption, and commercialism. As American society has transformed itself from industry and self-reliance to capitalism, commercialism and consumerism, there has been a fundamental shift in both lifestyles and demands that the current population exhibits. As a nation, tens of millions are succumbing to the enticements that materialism offers. As a nation, tens of millions are witnessing the lack of correlation between the ownership of materialistic goods and long-term happiness. Never before has a generation possessed so much material wealth yet possessed so little fulfillment and happiness. The crux of this epidemic appears to be a Western societal obsession with perfectionism and materialism. Mainstream society has mandated an unattainable external standard. Of which, an individual must maintain in order to appear to function at a socially approved level. This ideology is the genesis of many emotional problems adolescents exhibit such as depression, eating disorders, and anxiety. However, because Western society has placed such an enormous importance on the appearance of success, happiness, and perfection, individuals are willing to sacrifice their own individuality, personality, health, and values to appear congruent to what society deems necessary. Many deep-seated psychological issues manifest themselves through the mindless consumerism of materialistic goods and the participation of artificial cosmetic changes. Retail industries spend billions to ensure that we, as a population, have an illusion that happiness is obtained through possession or ownership. This generates an endless demand of greater purchasing power to satisfy an insecure populations thirst for social acceptance. The paradox many experience in the race for greater socioeconomic status is that once they obtain what they want

theyve lost what they had, their humanity. It is paramount to recognize that genuine life satisfaction and well-being comes from internal, not external, roots. When we, as a society, recognize and admit that our obsessive craving for superficial subsidies for happiness and life satisfaction is wildly asymmetrical, then we can expand our focuses to the more substantial issues we will face as individuals and societies. Eastern philosophies such as teachings of Confucius, Buddha, and Gandhi, have recently gained traction in Western society. The foundations of these different philosophies share the common themes of simple living, moderation in all things and inner peace with the self. In a culture of multi-tasking and ultra-connectedness, the loss of self-identity is common. Instead of using job status or affluence to determine identities, Eastern philosophies teach that the growth and pliability of self-identity is initiated from the core and is extended outwards. Essentially, responsibility for the development of self is deferred from society, peers, parents or the media onto the individual. The hope is for the realization that individuals are not shackled by the influences of their environment, but are improvable and perfectible through introspection and positive communal support. In a culture that broadcasts negativity through the media and literature, it is easy to generalize specific news events to the rest of the world. Instead of aiming to eradicate the negative, Eastern philosophies teach that the world is inherently good and that not only is eliminating the negative necessary for peace but also promoting the positive. In a culture with an obsession over external appearances, the values of family, spirituality, solitude and contentment can easily be lost. Instead of overlooking the importance of relationships or lifelong learning, Eastern philosophies teach that the preservation of family stability is central to a healthy life. Eastern philosophy promotes the values of patience and acceptance in all things, which aims to stabilize the wild effects of manic emotions and emotional attachments. As Gandhi stated, You may have occasion to possess or use material things, but the secret of life lies in never missing them. The notion that serenity comes from material possession is false; rather it is in the appreciation of material possessions. Such philosophies are sustained through maximizing the essentials and minimizing things that provide little fulfillment. Readily prevalent in Western society is the emphasis in financial wealth and physical beauty. This is easily observable from mate selection to the consumption of popular media. Starting from a young age, boys are relentlessly socialized to believe that success and affluence is the ultimate achievement attainable. Girls, on the other hand, become obsessed with body image and outward appearance. As the ideal income or image becomes the primary motivation behind the endeavors of emerging adolescents into adulthood, many find little satisfaction. Indeed, many believe the fallacy that

the condition of our external world, such as physical attractiveness or income, is the sole determinant of the level of long-term happiness. This is because many believe the classic assumption that the harder one works, the more successful one is. Or the more one emulates societal standards for perceived physical beauty, the more appealing one is. While that assumption is not inherently faulty, its what follows that creates a large majority of the social problems we can observe. Its when the assumption is that more work, or dieting, equals more success, or attractiveness, will translate into more happiness. This model effectively negates any realistic hope of attaining lasting happiness. For every time the desired level of success is reached, there is another just out of reach. The pursuit of happiness becomes a vicious cycle. It is in these moments that attempts to shore up feelings of inadequacies emerge. Each compulsion is designated towards fulfilling the constant need for perfection or the appearance of normality. We can conclude that the current model for happiness is illogical and backwards. Rather than attempting to increase work productivity to obtain happiness, happiness should be the foundation of work as it is much more efficient in augmenting success. The ideology that increasing consumerism elevates the standard of living and perceived wellbeing stemmed from the Industrial Age of America, where manufactured goods were first massproduced for cheap public consumption. However, following the several economic downturns in the past few decades, many Americans are looking for different alternatives to living well other than increasing consumption. Instead of adding complexity and chaos to daily life, many have chosen to scale back and strip down to the essentials. Concepts of purging possessions, organization, thoughtful attitudes, sustainability, frugality, family priorities, self-sufficiency, proactivity and healthy living are typical themes of minimalistic living. These themes propagate decreased dependence on technology, social approval, money, healthcare (which is more like disease care because it does nothing to promote health) and modern conveniences for a productive and satisfying lifestyle. Many have realized that it is in which lens, or paradigms, we view attaining and retaining happiness and life satisfaction that ultimately shapes our perception of overall well-being. If the lens for well-being is skewed, then happiness is continuously pushed over the cognitive horizon. Simple living is initiated within the self. It seeks to demolish and rebuild skewed paradigms socialized by peers, parents, role models, and society since inception. Instead, focus is placed on cooperation rather than competition, acceptance versus frustration, patience versus immediate gratification, family over work, less over more, frugality over debt, and sustainability over consumption. It is only when one discovers that their experiences and outlooks on life are the consequences of their internalized beliefs, that one can truly begin the path to higher living. The discovery of ones self allows

an individual to start living their life according to their own wishes, instead of the scripts their caregivers or society has given them. Life becomes a myriad of choices, rather than the fulfillment of the demands of others. As internal constrictions are loosened what was once an initial belief of restrictiveness is now transformed into peace and freedom. Many responsibilities, such as personal circumstances, growth and development, that were once commonly deferred onto others are now placed upon the self. The realization that the adherence to environmental influences is not forced allows for the expansion of selfcultivation and self-creation. Simple living, while simplistic in nature, is often difficult to integrate into a Western lifestyle. This is because as one doesnt undergo a series of changes but rather, a process of transformation. Lessons learned from correct principles need an investment of effort over time, which in a culture of instant gratification requires time to become acclimated to. There is no doubt that the benefits of using philosophies that promote positive internal development and self-sufficiency raises the quality and actualization of life. Rather than experiencing the temporal satisfaction of maintaining external appearance, one can experience stability in having immovable anchors in ideals and beliefs. The removal of physical and mental clutter and baggage frees more mental capacity for greater realizations and applications of time. Indeed, one can adequately consider simple living rather than increasing consumption, consumerism, and commercialism.