maggie spencer-pick - overconsumption - 11/29

 As we head into the holiday season, I'm definitely feeling the pressures from overconsumption. I've spent the last few months going through all of my things, donating or giving things away to friends to try to declutter and clear my space. Now that we are in the holiday season, everyone is concerned with Christmas gifts. It's a lot of pressure to think about receiving more things, and having to buy gifts for others as a broke college student. 

This is, of course, mainly a cultural problem. Not all cultures celebrate holidays that involve gift giving, and not all celebrations are centered around consumerist practices. I feel like I ask myself every year, "What could I do differently this season to escape all of this consumerism anxiety?". It feels almost impossible. I remember that we read something in class where a man was offered technology to help him with his work, but he didn't want it. He basically said that if you have technology, then you have technology problems. Maybe if consumerism wasn't pushed so widely in our culture, we wouldn't feel this way. And, with less consumerism and pressure, there could be room for other things. Peace with our place in life, more time to spend with our families, and a greater connection to the feeling of home without constantly thinking that consuming things will radically change our lives. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jaidan Brass -- Cheryl Strayed's Wild (12/04)

    Wild is a memoir of Cheryl Strayed during her time on the Pacific Crest Trail, also known as the PCT. the PCT is a trail that goes along the pacific coast from the bottom of California to the top of Washington. One of the things I admired most about Strayed was her courage during her months on the trail. Cheryl Strayed needed to hike the trail alone to help find herself after feeling like she lost herself after her mother’s death. In one chapter Strayed states, “Being near Tom and Doug at night kept me from having to say to myself I am not afraid whenever I heard a branch snap in the dark or the wind shook so fiercely it seemed something bad was bound to happen. But I wasn’t out here to keep myself from having to say I am not afraid” ( p. 122). One of the reasons she did the trails was to prove that she was brave enough and determined enough to this by herself. Though she did meet friends and have help along the way, she spend a majority of her time on the trail by h...
Read more

Emily Anstett 11/20 Religion and Climate Change Article Reflection

  https://insideclimatenews.org/news/27062022/religion-climate-change/ This article describes how some Rabbis are beginning to advocate for climate action and bring the problem of climate change to their congregation’s attention.  They are trying to “bridge the gap” between faith and climate.  I am interested in how western religions can adapt to incorporate more ecologically conscious views and practices.  I also think it is important to reconsider how religions dictate interactions with the environment.  For instance, the way that people interpret God giving dominion over the earth can have important implications.  For instance, does that mean that people are free to exploit and do whatever they see fit with God’s dominion? Or should humans work to cultivate this? I think this may be a point of contention that has significant ramifications on human-nature interactions.  For instance, if humans view themselves as a part of the dominion God created, ...
Read more

Jaidan Brass - Ecology of Eden Ch. 13 & 14 (12/04)

      In these two chapter, Eisenberg talks about the ranges seen between the mountain and the tower--or between wilderness and civilization. These are in examples like pastoralism, suburbia, and arcadia. They are the middle ground of the two extremes with mountains having no civilization at all and towers having no wilderness. While middle grounds tend to start out alright, they usually start failing after awhile. It's  possibly because the lifestyle was not sustainable. Pastoralism is starts degrading the soils once it gets to populated or gets overgrazed. The mountain part of suburbs can easily be lost into ideals where the community loses the reasons on why suburban areas were made. The middle ground is a delicate balance, but one many want to live in to enjoy the benefits of both the wilderness and civilization. 
Read more