Wednesday 18 May 2011

Lifestyle Obsession

Living in America all my life made me realize one thing. We are byproducts of a lifestyle obsession. Sound familiar? Think Fight Club.

However, this is only too true. We live through our possessions. It's called materialism. Is this hitting you a little too fast? Well it shouldn't be, because it's nothing new.

You, me, and the rest of the country have been conditioned to the point where for most part, many of us cannot think for ourselves. Wait, wait. Stop right there. Here you might think "But I am not like everybody else,I am unique. I can actually think for myself." Hah! You are about as unique as a toy being mass produced in China. Your thoughts are most likely your own because they have been altered in some shape or form.

I'm sorry, do I sound cynical right now? Would you rather close off your minds, feign ignorance, and move on with life? This would be a good option for a majority of people. I don't blame them -- part of human nature is to block out any negative images that may taint the mind. But if by some chance you are still reading, then lend me your ears and open up your eyes a little bit more to the damn truth.

Name brands, fashion, big screen TVs, the latest high-tech gadgets. What is it really all about? America has built an entire economy based on consumerism. Let me enlighten you. By definition (according to Wikipedia), consumerism is "the equating of personal happiness with the purchasing material possessions and consumption."

I want to know, how could our society be reduced down to this? Our lives revolve around these ... things ... these ... objects ... What happens if somebody takes it all away? Are most of us going to be lost without our cars, our televisions, our 200$ pair of shoes? Would we find difficulty in trying to find happiness in the simpler things? Is our society, this day in time, even capable of finding happiness outside of an object? What is the big picture in life? Is it about seeing how many material possessions one can acquire before one dies? Whoever has more, wins?

Okay, I am exaggerating a little bit upon the situation but ultimately, if the trend continues, this will be our society in the near future. Have you also noticed that our generation is "dumbing down"? Please don't get me wrong, I am sure that there are many, many brilliant minds wandering around in the vast ocean of our populated country. However, our standards have been dropped significantly. In my honest opinion, we have adopted the American mentality.

No comments:

Post a Comment