I had to buy a new pair of shorts and a new pair of jeans this past weekend. The reason: none of mine fit anymore; I've dropped from a size 8-10/9-11 to a size 6/7.
Going out to find replacements for the ones that no longer stay up (or are uncomfortably bunched up around my waist with a belt or drawstring) annoyed me, probably more than it should have. For one thing, I used to love going clothes shopping - I was able to easily spend an entire day doing nothing but looking at and trying on clothes. For another, even with the weight I've lost, no one wants to see me going around with my pants off. XP
I tried to look at the situation from different angles on my drive to the store; being someone who battles with depression, I have to be constantly mindful of my thoughts and mood, and when I'm able, analyze and intervene to stop the downward spiral.
The first thing I realized was that the expedition should not be making me angry - after all, with many Americans (especially women) desperate to lose weight, I should have been ecstatic that I was able to drop from 151 lbs in January to 132 lbs with virtually no effort. The reason I was annoyed and a connection to my weight loss dawned on me at the same time - I have made a strong effort to cut my level of personal consumption (in all areas) since I moved into my new apartment in July. I was annoyed that I had to go out and buy clothing when I already have perfectly good ones in my closet, and there were other things I would have rather spent the money on.
That, in turn, made me consider how over-consumption in general has hurt us as people. The weight issue is obvious - our over-consumption of food, especially high-calorie comfort food, rivals that of Henry VIII, and our population's continually-expanding waistlines show it.
Henry VIII was, in many ways, a one-man warning of what was to come for the world. As each society shifts from pre-agricultural to agricultural, from agricultural to industrial, and from industrial to consumer, our level of consumption - on both personal and societal levels - climbs exponentially. When we step into a consumer society we are called that because it becomes the primary function of the society - hunting and gathering, agriculture, and industry all go by the wayside as occupations of a few, and the majority spend their time only consuming. Henry VIII was a consumer - he consumed food, resources and even wives to levels that were unimaginable for many at his time. He started out life with a high level of education and appreciation for literature, strong athleticism, charisma, and enormous wealth his father had accumulated through frugality and careful spending. His life ended in obesity and a host of accompanying painful medical problems, and his legacy became one of greed, cruelty and self-centered ambitions. Despite his desire to build a lasting family and keep devout to his religion, Henry VIII allowed his voracious consumption to override discipline, resulting in a fractured family, his infamous number of wives, and a Church divided so as to accommodate his grasping.
What one man could have changed, we can also change as a society. We've led ourselves to believe that the path Henry VIII took is that of not only satisfying wants but needs; that to live well, we must live large, in every way, shape and form of the word. Today, a strong consumer society not only convinces its own that to be "happy" we must have more and more stuff, but it also presses these ideas on other societies that are not yet there. This creates a desire for a consumer society before a culture even makes the leap themselves.
A society centered around consumption is not sustainable; there is no way for it ever to be. If a group continues to consume with out ever producing, it must find those things it consumes elsewhere. Even then, material resources are finite - they will eventually run out. Additionally, a consumer society believes itself to be "the best way to live," and as a result, does its utmost to convince other societies to live the same way. Consumption increases further, with fewer producers and the same finite level of resources. It does not take long at all for such a system to reach a critical point - in fact, we are there now. The social, political, economic, religious and even climate woes we currently face have strong roots in over-consumption and its accompanying ills.
Thankfully, it is not difficult to turn this mindset around - it only requires a dedication to doing so and willingness to try things outside our comfort zone. Even when a society as a whole isn't yet ready to make a change, individuals - such as the young architect living in New York who downsized to a 78-square-foot apartment - can make meaningful changes in their own lives and set the example for others.
This idea is not new. Buddhism has tackled the issue of attachment - desiring things and latching on to them as a personal support - for centuries. In a conversation titled "How Do We Bring About Collective Awakening?" Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh discusses the illusion of hunger and why we consume the way we do. "The problem is that there is a lot of suffering inside of each person," Thich Nhat Hanh explains. "And there is a vacuum inside...pain inside. And people, because they don't know how to handle the suffering inside, they try to run away from it...they try to cover up the suffering inside, by the practice of consuming."
This is something every single person can change within themselves, and that's where societal change begins. Mahatma Gandhi told us to "be the change you want to see in the world," because that is the most effective place to start. When you change your ways, you not only begin living the way you want to live despite what others may or may not be doing, but you give your cause leverage. You are "walking the walk." You are "putting your money where your mouth is." You are that which you want to be. Anyone on the outside can only look at your example - how can they argue against something that is working?
Unless you're fine with being Henry VIII. If that's the case, by all means, continue on your way. Just remember the lesson we consumers learned from Spiderman - with great power comes great responsibility. Both the pleasure and the pain of that way of life are yours to bear and yours alone - a consumer culture forces individuals to focus on themselves and only themselves, after all. It's not so different than ceasing to follow that route - the focus remains on the self. The difference comes in the consequences for the world as a whole. Even when we try to pretend we are isolated, what we do to ourselves has repercussions globally; the type and direction of those repercussions are what's changed by the path we take. Is the scope of your view, your imagination, limited only to your own short life, or is it wider than that?
As Captain Planet used to tell us at the end of every episode - the power is yours. What will you do with it? I'm going to be teaching myself how to alter clothing and donate a few nicer pieces to Goodwill or CASDA. ^_^v
Going out to find replacements for the ones that no longer stay up (or are uncomfortably bunched up around my waist with a belt or drawstring) annoyed me, probably more than it should have. For one thing, I used to love going clothes shopping - I was able to easily spend an entire day doing nothing but looking at and trying on clothes. For another, even with the weight I've lost, no one wants to see me going around with my pants off. XP
I tried to look at the situation from different angles on my drive to the store; being someone who battles with depression, I have to be constantly mindful of my thoughts and mood, and when I'm able, analyze and intervene to stop the downward spiral.
The first thing I realized was that the expedition should not be making me angry - after all, with many Americans (especially women) desperate to lose weight, I should have been ecstatic that I was able to drop from 151 lbs in January to 132 lbs with virtually no effort. The reason I was annoyed and a connection to my weight loss dawned on me at the same time - I have made a strong effort to cut my level of personal consumption (in all areas) since I moved into my new apartment in July. I was annoyed that I had to go out and buy clothing when I already have perfectly good ones in my closet, and there were other things I would have rather spent the money on.
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| King Henry VIII after Hans Holbein the Younger |
Henry VIII was, in many ways, a one-man warning of what was to come for the world. As each society shifts from pre-agricultural to agricultural, from agricultural to industrial, and from industrial to consumer, our level of consumption - on both personal and societal levels - climbs exponentially. When we step into a consumer society we are called that because it becomes the primary function of the society - hunting and gathering, agriculture, and industry all go by the wayside as occupations of a few, and the majority spend their time only consuming. Henry VIII was a consumer - he consumed food, resources and even wives to levels that were unimaginable for many at his time. He started out life with a high level of education and appreciation for literature, strong athleticism, charisma, and enormous wealth his father had accumulated through frugality and careful spending. His life ended in obesity and a host of accompanying painful medical problems, and his legacy became one of greed, cruelty and self-centered ambitions. Despite his desire to build a lasting family and keep devout to his religion, Henry VIII allowed his voracious consumption to override discipline, resulting in a fractured family, his infamous number of wives, and a Church divided so as to accommodate his grasping.
What one man could have changed, we can also change as a society. We've led ourselves to believe that the path Henry VIII took is that of not only satisfying wants but needs; that to live well, we must live large, in every way, shape and form of the word. Today, a strong consumer society not only convinces its own that to be "happy" we must have more and more stuff, but it also presses these ideas on other societies that are not yet there. This creates a desire for a consumer society before a culture even makes the leap themselves.
A society centered around consumption is not sustainable; there is no way for it ever to be. If a group continues to consume with out ever producing, it must find those things it consumes elsewhere. Even then, material resources are finite - they will eventually run out. Additionally, a consumer society believes itself to be "the best way to live," and as a result, does its utmost to convince other societies to live the same way. Consumption increases further, with fewer producers and the same finite level of resources. It does not take long at all for such a system to reach a critical point - in fact, we are there now. The social, political, economic, religious and even climate woes we currently face have strong roots in over-consumption and its accompanying ills.
Thankfully, it is not difficult to turn this mindset around - it only requires a dedication to doing so and willingness to try things outside our comfort zone. Even when a society as a whole isn't yet ready to make a change, individuals - such as the young architect living in New York who downsized to a 78-square-foot apartment - can make meaningful changes in their own lives and set the example for others.
This idea is not new. Buddhism has tackled the issue of attachment - desiring things and latching on to them as a personal support - for centuries. In a conversation titled "How Do We Bring About Collective Awakening?" Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh discusses the illusion of hunger and why we consume the way we do. "The problem is that there is a lot of suffering inside of each person," Thich Nhat Hanh explains. "And there is a vacuum inside...pain inside. And people, because they don't know how to handle the suffering inside, they try to run away from it...they try to cover up the suffering inside, by the practice of consuming."
This is something every single person can change within themselves, and that's where societal change begins. Mahatma Gandhi told us to "be the change you want to see in the world," because that is the most effective place to start. When you change your ways, you not only begin living the way you want to live despite what others may or may not be doing, but you give your cause leverage. You are "walking the walk." You are "putting your money where your mouth is." You are that which you want to be. Anyone on the outside can only look at your example - how can they argue against something that is working?
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| Spiderman, Amazing Fantasy #15 (August 1962) |
As Captain Planet used to tell us at the end of every episode - the power is yours. What will you do with it? I'm going to be teaching myself how to alter clothing and donate a few nicer pieces to Goodwill or CASDA. ^_^v
I haven't checked back in a while, so I missed this post. Well said and so very true. Today we seem to be all about what we can have/get, need is no longer in the equation. If we want it, then we must need it. Right?
ReplyDeleteNow if I could just get out of the habit of heavy consumption of the sugar variety, I'd be much healthier and more than likely much happier.