Consumerism.Sometime back,a friend of mine had asked me to pen down my views on consumerism,as in,whether its a bane or a boon?....I did a little research(courtsey google.com) on what people had to say about it.There were all kinds of talks ,some pros and lots of cons,but none made much sense to me.And my,then quixotic-self said,'what a crap?How can material possessions ever be equated to,or in any way bring about happiness?...Consumerism can certainly not be a boon but a bane.'...and so,i outrightly dismissed the idea of giving it any more thought as i was firm in my belief.Writing my views on it,therefore,was out of question...... hold on....to my disbelief,i am again finding myself revisiting the same question that i was fiddling some time back!A lot has changed between then,which was a good one and a half years ago when i was still going to college and had little experience of the raw world outside my college campus, and now,when i am almost on my own,working and earning a preety handsome salary, as a beginner in my profession!....i have more rhetorics and less answers .. is there any harm if some bruised,forlorn,lovelorn,nostalgic,restless, etc teens,adults,singles,couples,office goers ,who find themselves entangled in the inexplicable phenomenas of life come to buy some ephimeral joy with the bucks that they get,or that they earn?....How can a thing that can bring joy without inflicting pain to others,no matter how small in measure,can be a bane??..for,there has to be some solace that consumerism brings about which has driven a whole generation go beserk after it ......Considering my example,for one,the list of things that revitalises my sometimes dampened spirits,in the new alienated place where i am putting up presently are as simple as going out to the nearest shopping mall to catch the hullabaloo ,an outing wid folks ,watching a good movie,getting hold of a good book that i was looking for,or listening to good music..........Even thing as trivial as a cup of ice-cream,or a good hair-cut can push a smile to a fatigued soul!...and as a matter of fact,all such sources of happiness can be associated with consumerism...even the so-called non materialistic inclinations like art and literature cannot be nurtured without consumerism coming into play..for,be it art or literature ,both have an abstract existence and can be manifested only if they are transformed into some consumearable form....so,even they depend and flourish on consumerism...
Don’t a pack of CDs of the soulful tracks that appeal most to you ,often turn out to be your prized possession.Isnt the book that your sweetheart gifted you on your last B’day is simply indispensable for you.And after all this you say that you have no love and longing for material possessions and that they cannot make you happy.??Harsh as it may sound,human beings by their nature tends to find happiness in both animate as well as inanimate possessions.In fact that was the very cause of the evolution of human existence.When nomads discovered food,they felt the need for agriculture and their own farms and orchards...after they lived in the thatched house there was a need for a better one.When the basic needs were met, they started looking for sources of entertainment which again added to the list of objects they wished to own. This desire for more belongings and a better way of life when catalysed by a flourishing and poised market turned out to be what we can see as the practice of consumerism...In fact There seems to be no harm in its practice as long as its buying happiness to those who can afford...but in the midst of sufficing ones need care must b taken to share the needs of those we can and those who are berieved of such taste of happiness simply because they are not born lucky...the ways this can be done is upon n individual to decide.Consumerism can be made a boon for the framework of our society if it is not practiced thoughtlessly to the extent where it widens the divide between the affluent and the under priviledged.Consumerism is a drive for country's economy..It also enhances the quality of life and prosperity of the nation...But in the midst of all these assets it has this renowned blot that can be done away if we as commoners realise our sense of responsibility towards our fellow beings while reveling in our bestowed glory!
