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Beyond consumption to more of what matters

Given the mounting ecological pressure from humankind (6.7 billion and counting) is the answer to give everything up and live an ascetic life? It might be for some people, but this extreme view is what makes many think there is no middle ground, no practical way to live within Earth’s means, and no other way to live within society than to consume conspicuously—buying new shoes to add to a closet full of them, or even buy a new house with more closet space.

Redeeming consumption

Robert G. Dunn distinguishes between two types of experiences sought in material objects: self-gratification (having fun) and self-realization (cultivation of “something more”).1 One of consumer society's most common and unfortunate bait-and-switch scams is the way it appeals to both of the above needs while only satisfying the first—self-gratification. Manufacturing cheap goods to serve our most basic desires for novelty also does a disservice to the stuff itself: do we discard so much because we don’t respect material things, or because the things we make aren't worthy of respect?

Meaningful Objects

Dunn's antidote is that we should “transform commodities back into meaningful objects and experiences.” Anthropologist Robert Miller suggested that consumption can become a means by which an “object is transformed by its intimate association with a particular social group.”2 Movements for slow food and fair trade products, for instance, don’t only help the producers. By establishing a connection with human producers, it helps the purchaser, too, by connecting him or her with meaning.

Rob Walker, author of the Unconsumption blog, says that moving away from the reflexive consumption of status symbols will not take away the important social functions served by our choice of belongings. it will naturally move us to traffic in new symbols. These new “invisible badges” will still have meaning, because the story we used to tell “the Joneses” with our stuff becomes the story we tell ourselves.

Design is another avenue towards more meaningful relationships with things. A December 2007 David Report bulletin entitled The Sustainable Wheel outlines seven principles for sustainable design: environmental influence, innovation, emotional connection, aesthetics, quality, authenticity, and compatibility. Good design can help reduce the need to use advertising to spin the meaning a product needs to be something other than disposable. Basically, if we can design a Velveteen Rabbit, something that is loved until it comes alive, there’s no need for a room full of stuffed animals: you’ve made a toy for a lifetime.

Another way of rescuing consumption might be “dematerializing” or “immaterializing” it: that is, selling services or experiences rather than things. (See another use of the word dematerialization here) Think of mp3s and the waste they have the potential to prevent by eliminating the need for dozens of fragile CDs to store music. Moving towards a service or experience economy has its pitfalls, however. For example, the immaterial mp3 track requires mp3 players, which can rapidly become obsolete and ends up adding to the mountains of toxic electronic waste in landfills.

Appreciation

While consumption may take on a less wasteful form in the future, the question remains: is there life beyond consumption? Or, as Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, said in the remarkable speech “Can Humanity Be Saved?:

Meaning

Facing the challenges of consumption requires no less than facing the root question of life: What is meaningful? Another way of asking this is—what is the opposite of waste? If the endless quest for novelty can only bring an endorphin crash once it is attained, there has to be a more enduring pleasure stemming from a deeper sense of satisfaction. This post-consumer stage we’ve termed “appreciation”--because it takes delight in things without taking anything from them, a talent that cannot be practiced on fast-forward any more than stopping to smell the flowers can be scheduled. It is walking through a countryside, town, or city that has room enough for wonder. (See StreetFilms.org's delightful "The Search for the Zozo" below.)

If every age has its character, according to Erich Fromm., then our present search for meaning and a more sustainable way of life is a struggle of character. We must cultivate a new type with the qualities of Fromm’s ideal, the mature "productive character": someone “who loves and creates, and for whom being is more important than having,.”5 This character has not been nurtured by the consumer society that has come before, but will be called upon in the near future as we confront the urgent needs of our planet.

For some ideas about the pleasures waiting to be appreciated by the post-consumer lifestyle, see the Bill of Rights.

For activities related to quality of life--in the country at large and in your life--see the Quality of life page.