Consumerism, Capitalism, and How to Cope

The answer to your life doesn’t lie in your next checkout purchase. The dignity of your being isn’t defined by what device, car, or bag you own. And as you read this, an inner conflict may arise: No, everything around me bases its value on material things. How could I adopt a different set of values when the whole world seems built to comply with consumerism?

First of all, this writing isn’t meant to be a guideline. It’s my personal attempt to document my train of thought on how to resist consumerism, based on various sources I’ve read and watched.

The entirety of human life, from the late 20th century up until now, can be viewed through a capitalistic lens. As children, our parents told us to befriend only the “good kids,” because they would influence us to become smarter and get better grades, which are crucial for getting into a good school.

Why do we need to go to a well-known, reputable school? Because records show that its students often continue to good universities. And why do we need to go to a good university? Because, based on records and alumni testimonies, most of its graduates land jobs at good companies.

Why do we need to get into a good company? To earn a good paycheck. And why do we need a good paycheck? Because everything around us is controlled by money, directly or indirectly. So, we need money.

The whole world has become a giant laboratory of supply and demand. Large companies bombard us with ads, armed with terrifying levels of personalization that follow us through every corner of the digital and physical world. Buying things has become as natural as breathing.

But some of our purchases are useless. The competition to own more has driven us into unwise debt, leading to the slow destruction of human existence in this capitalist era.

So, how do we fight consumerism? No, simply a total stopping of ourselves from buying things isn’t the answer. The first thing we must dismantle is the deep-rooted brainwashing that teaches us to see the world only through an economic lens.

Let’s expand our collection of “glasses” (not in a consumerist way). See the world through the wisdom of your faith, through the wonders of biology and living things, or through the same curiosity you had when you were six years old.

Extend life beyond buying and selling.

Capitalism has alienated the kindness and creativity we could have built in this world. Why? Because those things don’t serve the system’s goal of keeping people (now seen purely as customers) buying more. This system depends on structured alienation: separating humans from themselves and their surroundings, to sustain its reach.

“Oh, you give free lessons to students? When will you start charging them a subscription fee?”

“You make art in your free time? Have you listed it on a digital marketplace? How much does it cost?”

Again, this is the result of a capitalist mindset deeply rooted in our unconsciousness.

Extend life beyond buying and selling. Look at the sky. Breathe in the morning air. Eat your veggies. Run. Talk to your community. Help an elderly person board the train.

All the things you might think have no economic value? Do them anyway, for the sake of kindness, for the sake of learning, for the sake of curiosity. For the sake of fighting the deep-rooted, decaying consumerism.