LOVE LETTERS TO TANZANIA: Is consumerism a social disease?

Have you ever wished you could send today’s youngsters back in time to experience what life was like when you were their age? Did you ever tell a teenager how little your parents owned, how hard they worked, and how thankful you thus were for every small luxury you could eventually afford?

A growing number of parents are beginning to wonder if it is a such a good plan to exert themselves to ensure their children can own material possessions of which their parents could only dream, especially if their children take everything for granted – from stylish clothes to flat screen televisions and mobile phones. There is always something new they desire.

We have become victims of consumerism, the ideology which encourages us to define our worth in terms of what we possess. Bombarded with hundreds of commercials every day, youth are constantly exposed to subliminal messages which create the desire to buy an ever-increasing number of products to become prettier, happier and more popular.

They are most vulnerable to the persuasive powers of advertising if they witness their parents work endless hours to amass items to signal social status or prestige. As we compare ourselves based on our salaries and the purchasing power these represent, satisfaction becomes unattainable. There will always be others who have more, erode our confidence, cause social anxiety and increase the pressure to earn more in order to consume more.

Psychologists warn that the more we value wealth, popularity and image, the more our quality of life diminishes. Any sense of satisfaction created by the purchase of a product is short-lived. Soon after attaining one item, we desire another. We are encouraged to believe that each purchase makes us happier and may become addicted to trying to fill the voids in our lives with goods, none of which deliver the emotional fulfilment they promise.

To overcome emotional challenges or stress, consumerists who can afford to (and those who cannot, but own a credit card) may engage in a bizarre ritual they call “retail therapy”. To overcome negative emotions, they go shopping. Buying items allows them to feel a temporary sense of relief but often becomes a behaviour pattern which leads to debt and further emotional issues.

My teenage friends’ typical favourite pastimes during my adolescence included games, reading, listening to music, playing sports and visiting friends. Watching television was becoming popular, but the programs parents chose were rarely of much interest to youngsters. Ask teenage girls now, and they are highly likely to call shopping for clothes and shoes their favourite pastime.

Clearly, basic social values which promote emotional well-being are at risk of being eroded with this increase in individualistic materialism, which incidentally contributes to the depletion of the planet’s resources.

Therefore, many typical consumer societies have seen the emergence of post-consumerism movements in which citizens have begun to wean themselves off the addictive consumption of goods and services. Instead, they aim to re-focus on activities which foster well-being and life satisfaction through meaningful relationships, time spent with their families and a sense of purpose in life which transcends the pursuit of personal wealth and status.

In other words, they reject the notion that material possessions measure success. Many resolve to not only consume less but also let go of many of the possessions they amassed to declutter their lives – and in a way, to also declutter their minds. Some are so committed to this concept that they reduce their belongings to the bare essentials.

This may be a little too extreme for most of us, especially if this drastic action is taken just to prove a point, but it is worth asking ourselves once in a while how much of what we buy we really need, and what exactly we should have passed on to our children by the time we leave this world.