I have been thinking alot about consumerism lately. We’ve been talking at church about “consumer Christians” – how we try to create services, programs to please the consumers out there looking for a church to meet their needs. That’s the way of America – if you have a need, get it met. Life is all about getting my “needs” met. In fact, the way of America is to create felt needs so you can make money meeting them. Our whole culture is built around consumers.
Think about it. We live as if we were meant to have things whenever we decide we “need” them. If everyone is getting something, the idea gets started and you are “nobody” if you don’t have one. This starts at a very young age. On-demand feeding of infants is the beginning (now I am not saying that is wrong, it just starts the ball rolling is all.) Then it becomes needing certain toys, then certain “brands” of clothing, then more toys, then certain cars, then certain kitchen appliances. There is so much “stuff” that we need. (See my past post on “stuff”.)
I recently read an article by Kurt Armstrong found in Radix Magazine. “Consumerism is a tree of death upon whose fruit we gorge ourselves, and no amount of pruning its branches or raking the fallen leaves can curb the real effects of our addiction…Corporations have the large share of the blame, foisting upon the vulnerable public the supposed need for an endless line of unnecessary goods…we consumers are as much to blame…the corporations thrive and fold according to the laws of supply and demand…”
So I looked in my closet the other day. I am tired of my winter clothes. I feel like I wear the same thing every day. Why is that? I don’t! I don’t usually even wear the same thing more than once a week, or even once every other week. Who is telling me that I need more clothes?!
Then I looked around my bedroom. We have the same furniture that I got when I was 16 years old. (I am 50, so that was a LONG time ago). It is perfectly functional. But sometimes I am kind of embarrassed at how junky our furniture is. Why? Who cares? Very few people I know go in my bedroom anyway.
I was looking at a friends blackberry the other day. Very cool. I think it would be great to have one. Then I started thinking about wanting an Ipod. I don’t have one yet. It would be very fun to have one. I love new “toys.”
There is a part of me that doesn’t even want to write this because I really enjoy being a consumer. And I am not saying we should never buy things. But I wish there was a way to get encouragement for not consuming so much. That instead of saying “did you get a new sweater?” we could say “you look so good in that worn out sweater that I think you should wear it more often cause I really like it!”
I wish someone would tell me that they love our old beater furniture, or our car that is starting to look retro- (1993 station wagon). Or that they think its great that we still listen to CD’s the old-fashioned way, on a CD player. Or that a I am cool even if I don’t have a blackberry.
Kurt ends his article: “…imagine that you are satisfied. Imagine that you already have everything you need. Imagine that your car is not a fashion statement… Imagine that you might express more to your lover by sitting face to face in silence than you ever could with a diamond bracelet…imagine dressing differently than the people on television; imagine not even buying a television…imagine how good your life actually is, not how much better a billboard makes you feel that it’s supposed to be.”
Guess what? I am satisfied. I have more than I need. What about you? Anyone want to join me in consuming less and living/loving more? If we work together maybe we can fight the consumer mindset somehow. Though I must admit I am not sure how. It feels a bit like swimming upstream in a strong current.
Nancy, this is a lovely post – and a convicting one. This is HUGE for me. I never thought it was. Then I realized how out of the loop I feel when I don’t have the newest gadget [now that I'm home all day, that makes me REALLY out of the loop] and I wonder – what is it that I think the gadget provides me? What EVER do I lack?? Nothing. Nothing, indeed. So now I need to learn to live where my mouth is. Or something like that. Thanks for the reminder. I especially loved the reminder about how we express love to one another.. it’s not the stuff, that’s for sure.
I really really like this post. Can we talk about this more in the church? Why isn’t this confronted more in the church? Consumerism and the gospel just don’t seem to go together well… yet we try to make them fit. I am so torn when I hear preaching that says that it is ok to have a lot of money and a lot of stuff as long as we have the right view of our stuff and are radically generous with it. I think this is a nice ideal, but can we just be truthful and say that it is nearly impossible to both have a lot of wealth/stuff and not be sinful about it? Why, when we read Matthew 19:21 do we refuse to see ourselves in the rich young man? Why do we exclude ourselves from Jesus’ words: “I tell you the truth, it’s hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.”
I agree, we are swimming in a consumeristic culture… and it seems that it has washed over many of our churches. I’m afraid for the church in america- and our reluctance to combat our rampant consumerism. Are we just afraid of offending the members of our church? Do Christians really feel it is alright to have a lot of stuff, to be consumers, to have much more then we need in a world full of people who are living without their basic needs fulfilled? Why is the church so reluctant to be counter-cultural and stand against consumerism?
I’d be interested to hear your views…
Maria,
I think there is a strong sense in the church that you shouldn’t be judgmental. Not that I agree, but many feel that how they choose to spend their money is personal between them and God and no one should judge. If I tell you that you have too much stuff that you don’t need I am “judging” you.
Yesterday a friend told me she was wearing the same pants for the 4th day in a row. I said AWESOME. Why don’t we brag about that kind of thing more?
Thanks for your thoughts.
thanks for this post Nancy! I would encourage you to continue not being tricked into thinking that you need to “upgrade” when your stuff doesn’t look quite new anymore. I feel the same urges to “upgrade,” and often it’s hard to fight those feelings off; they attack you again and again.
You and Rick have been a real inspiration to me; if I were asked who was someone who purchases wisely, you are the first people that come to my mind. I love your furniture; no one can tell that it’s super old. O, and certainly feel free to remodel your kitchen, but I personally love it and think it’s great just the way it is – I’d love to have one like it someday.
Nancy,
Thanks for your reply… I don’t want to see the church be judgmental of anyone, yet I think a vision needs to be cast of what our lives could look like if we stepped outside of consumerism. Perhaps in fear of judging we’ve fully accepted consumerism in the church. Maybe people just need to hear what their lives could be like if they weren’t driven by consuming things. I don’t want judgment, I just want discussion and vision in the church… I want to see more openness on this topic. And hopefully people would not feel ‘judged’ if consumerism were talked about in church but instead feel open to considering it and maybe even feeling personally convicted that they need to make changes in their own lives.
I wonder what would happen if we began speaking openly about consumerism in church. I think that for every person that felt judged and left the church there would be several who would be drawn to the church. I know there are a lot of non-Christians out there who avoid the church because they believe it is full of hypocrisy… and maybe attending a church where the people proclaim they want to feed the hungry and clothe the needy yet have more food and clothes than they need and are hesitant to give them away turns them away from the church. I think we need to learn how to confront consumerism in the church in a sensitive and non-judgmental way, but I don’t think avoiding the issue all together is the right way to go…
thanks nancy!
hey- that last comment was from maria, not mike- I didn’t realize i was logged in as him!
Mike and Maria,
Thanks for the continued challenge. I am laughing inside about how I got Mike to fix my old stove that was once donated to the school across the street. She’s still making good dinners!
And how he fixed our old Television that we thought we’d have to throw away. It still works too.
Rick tried REALLY hard to fix our microwave just to keep it out of the landfill. He couldn’t get it done so we had to give in and replace it. Back to my “planned obsolencene” blog from a few months ago.
Maybe the church should take the angle of “not serving God and stuff” We so often end up serving our “stuff” instead of using it to serve God.
Nancy, I’m sitting at home reading tonight from Christine Pohl’s book, Making Room, and came across something that reminded me of this particular blog entry. Forgive me if it is a little long …
“Perhaps there is, as some suggest, an inverse relation between wealth and hospitality. But certainly concerns about possessions can make us hesitate to offer hospitality to strangers. We worry about damage, theft, or misuse. Those of us with substantial material wealth can be embarrassed by our abundance, especially when we live close to others in need. Rather than deal with our discomfort by making changes, we sometimes to choose to keep our distance or to find new friends whose resources more closely match our own …
“It is not as difficult to let go of some possessions if the people around us who have great need are people we know and love. It is easier to open ourselves to strangers when our lives are less encumbered by things. Tensions are reduced when the differences in resources are minimal. …
“But the challenge to learn to hold possessions more lightly is a tough one. As one practitioner [of hospitality] noted, after he had given up his expensive stereo he found himself trying to hold onto the nice pair of running shoes he had found in the community clothes closet. Gradually he learned that in order to see God’s remarkable work of provision, he had to hold onto things with a lighter grasp.”
I appreciated our conversation in the hallway the other day about commenting with respect on someone’s, say, 9-year-old sweater. I think our dangerous consumerist mentality is a twist on a healthy desire to feel belonging, to feel wanted, to feel respected. But rather than practicing GIVING that belonging, that acceptance, that respect, we put ourselves in the center of the everything and – I think – demand that we get that. Buying, showing off, even sometimes, I think, apologizing for not having fancy-enough plates, couches, silverware when we invite friends to dinner, is so so so so sad to me. And I’m so guilty of it!
In choosing to believe that I SHOULD have a nice table to entertain my guests properly, that i NEED to get compliments on my clothes to feel like I really look good, and that i MUST have incredibly fancy meals prepared to show my friends that i’m successful and generous and kind, I fail to acknowledge and praise God’s remarkable work of provision.
GAG.
Lord, help me, help me, help.
Thanks for your good post, Nancy. I appreciate it.
Mary, you never cease to amaze me with your thoughts! I read this and am reminded that a few minutes ago I was thinking about the neighbors I have coming to dinner tomorrow night. And if I need to find some kind of tablecloth or something to “impress” them. or if I can just make some food and enjoy their company without worrying about what they might think (or probably not think, really) about my “presentation”.
Now I am going to focus on having healthy food, a “clean enough” house that it doesn’t distract, and on them as people. Who they are, what they might need in the moment. My stuff makes no difference whatsoever!
Thanks for the great reminder that our stuff can get in the way of love so easily and on so many different levels.
Beka’s random soap box:
Ironically I think that consumerism and materialism are the direct result of the complete under-appreciation of things (rather than liking things too much.) Through the tales of Tolkein I have come to see our relationship with the material world as having the possibility of going two directions. The first direction is to cling too tightly to an item is to want to possess it, to turn it into an idol and thus it is idolatry (Gollum and the ring). The second direction is to under-appreciate an item, to disparage it and not value it at all. Consumerism comes from from not valuing the function or the memories that are deeply intertwined with the objects and things you already have. It seems it is proper to truly value and celebrate material possessions for their memory and their function, and in so doing arrive at a level of contentment at which to remain. I enjoy the example of how hobbits loved and treasured their pipes. They didn’t idolize thier pipes, but they were special, meaningful items that they cared for.
So Nancy…cherish your furnature, polish it, give it the time and energy that a piece of art, crafted by human hands deserves. I imagine that if your furnature has been with you that long, woven deeply into its very existance is history, story, memory, and goodness. Let it be beautiful.
I can’t wait to see you guys!!! Beka
I stumbled on your site, read your comments on Kurt’s article. Thought you might like to know that Kurt , his wife and their young family have moved from a large city to a small (300 sq. ft. ) cabin and are experiencing ‘doing with little. Oh, they do a have a loft for sleeping! There is no electricity, well, a long cord across the yard to a tiny fridge allows them to keep milk…. no running water, no phone, a fireplace for heat, an outhouse…. Their plan is to live there for a year but are not tied to it. I think there will be much to write about after that!
I am Kurt’s Mom and I love that boy, his wife and their wee ones. I also love his siblings and their kids!