Somehow this year has fast-forwarded itself and it is already the middle of November. The Macy's Day parade is next week and then the holiday season will be in full swing. Forget about the chestnuts on the open fire and the miracle of the oil, what people care about is...."whatcha get me?" There are plenty of things to buy, society throws out myriad ideas on what to get your mom, dad, spouse, brother, sister, grandma, grandpa, best friend, acquaintance, mailman....you get the point.
In the past I used to freak out right about now. The anxiety of what to get everyone, including a mother that has everything would rip my mind to pieces. By the end of the gifting holiday, I would feel a sense of relief that it was over, and rarely enjoyed the time. I was conditioned to like the crap that I got as a kid, playing with whatever piece of plastic or plastic/electronic combination that was hot that year. Using it obsessively helped to numb my head, thats for sure.
Now my childhood wasn't all bad, but a little personal experience helps to make a prelude to what I am trying to get across. A new study that came out not only shows a correlation between low-self esteem and materialism, but a direct casual relationship. Basically, it is our materialistic society that helps to foster more cases of depression and feelings of low self-worth. And for those that feel blue for our planet, mass-consumerism hurts the environment as well on top of that.
As the Daily Galaxy reports:
The paradox that findings such as these bring up, is that consumerism is good for the economy but bad for the individual. In the short run, it’s good for the economy when young people believe they need to buy an entirely new wardrobe every year, for example. But the hidden cost is much higher than the dollar amount. There are costs in happiness when people believe that their value is extrinsic. There are also environmental costs associated with widespread materialism.
In the book “Happiness: Lessons From a New Science”, Richard Layard exposes a paradox at the heart of our lives. Most of us want more income so we can consume more. Yet as societies become richer, they do not become happier. In fact, the First World has more depression, more alcoholism and more crime than fifty years ago. This paradox is true of Britain, the United States, continental Europe and Japan.
So what do we do about this paradox? Do we stop buying things we don't need and "crash the economy?" Could our culture really trade empty materialism for a chance at happiness? I know for me, materialism does not matter as much to me now as it used to. Sure, I like nice things, but I'm aware that nothing external is going to make me happy, that has to come from within. The problem is that there are so many temptations out there, especially living in New York City.
Yet as December gets closer and closer, there's really nothing that I "want" or "need." I asked my girlfriend to take me to a basketball game, but I forgot that I won't be in town when the Lakers play the Knicks, so that's out. Other than that, I just want to spend time with the people I love and that (in small doses of course) is what makes me happy.
|