I believe someone leaving the culture of consumption goes through the same stages. The elite advertise to the middle and lower class telling us to buy cars, clothes, and glamor informing us if we aspire towards it we can be rich and famous. As one begins to realize that they are being treated as debt serfs running after an illusion they begin to develop a hatred to debt, consumption and materialism. As they move towards as less materialistic lifestyle they start to realize that they have little to talk about with their friends and co workers. "What do you mean you did not watch dancing with the stars?" "What you don't have a tv!?" "Why would you sell your car to take the bus?" . As this progresses people stop asking if you want to go out as they don't want to hear about your crazy ideas. As one gets more isolated they begin to become more foreign. They walk into a grocery store and look at magazines that they once found interesting only to realize they have no idea who the people are. They also don't understand why anyone would pay the asking price for new technology when you can wait a year and get it for free. Ask anyone at this stage what they think of a mall. It is sad to walk around a mall and see people in a fog of debt and consumption. At the same time it is rather isolating to realize that you can no longer relate to them.
Hopefully one is able to find like minded individuals even if it is in book or blog form. There are many books, blogs and people past and present who have written about simplicity and offer paths to follow so you don't have to carve out your own. The next stage in breaking the cycle is where I have my problem. How can I engage (i.e. relate to people enslaved) in this world without being judgmental or opinionated and at the same time staying interested.
I stumbled upon your blog by accident, because your URL is only one word less than mine (betterfreeyourmindinsead) but I am glad I did. I always enjoy reading my thoughts in other people's words =D i am also working on how to approach the public as a whole to help break the cycles of consumerism. I feel as thought a change must be made, and that won't happen unless the people wake up and take back control of ourselves. I am working towards a degree in Community Health Education, and many of the things which are stressed in my classes, and which I personally believe, is the lack of care people have for their own bodies and lives. Its not entirely their fault though, as they are psychologically conditioned from the time they are children to adhere to the materialistic, consumer norm. The food itself which is consumed on a regular basis acts like a drug driving our desire to consume more and more to the point of obesity, just because of its high density of fat, sugar, and salt, which produces pleasurable responses in the brain similar to cocaine. I feel as though the way to change is through education, and bringing people out of the daze of television and need to constantly consume. I, and many of my friends seek to educate people about the basics of living, and make them aware just how blind they are to the manipulations of business. People in general feel they are powerless in their ability to change even their own behaviors, never mind the society as a whole. The immediate health problems are only one part of the issue with the entire system, but if people are in control of their bodies and minds, they have a stable foundation on which to fight for other areas of their lives; if they are not so wrapped up in themselves and their need to consume, they will be more willing to be generous to other people; if their bodies and minds are fully functioning, they have the capability and desire to contribute to their best ability. I think that by empowering people with the confidence and drive to stand up for their right to live, changes can be made. As a part of this planet, everything is connected, even more so with mass industry and mass communication, and too many people have forgotten that they are responsible for all of the consequences of their actions. Every individual has an impact, and they need to be reminded that they must consciously, and throughout their entire life, direct their energy towards something good...
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