To break it down, consume comes from Latin roots meaning "to intensely take." Outside of the first definition "to eat or drink," every definition and synonym has negative connotations. To destroy, to ruin, expend, use up. The list is not infinite but carries some heft. And this consumption leads to an internalization of that depletion. It seeps into our language or jokes or entire way of being. How often do we find ourselves "binging an entire season" or eating simply because we're bored? How often are our friends and family buried under an insurmountable burden of debt due to having to have new model this, or latest edition that? The cycle then becomes to work to pay for stuff to show we are at the vanguard.
And this isn't consigned solely to tangible goods either. The rate at which we devour media in all its forms has increased exponentially over the last 30 years. When we rise in the morning, the television is the first thing on, followed by any one of a host of apps which all demand constant refreshing. When we go to commute, the "morning drive" has become regurgitated television headlines designed to make us want more, or better, or cleaner. The mass inhalation of "news" keeps us fearful, at odds, and weary. The 24-hour news cycle has everyone certain the world is more dangerous that it was 30 years ago, despite statistical evidence to the contrary, and which creates distance between family, friends, and neighbors, as we each become suspicious of one another's motives, or hygiene, or health.
So where does that leave us? For many, it pushes us further into "never enough." For many others, it drives us into "too much" and despair. Our time is depleted. Patience worn thin. The most vulnerable among us are left with even less -- because in times of news cycle hysteria, those who have the means now devour all the resources. And we no longer care for the well-being of those outside our immediate nucleus. The argument becomes "I fought for mine! You should have done the same!" when in every instance the fight was not the same fight. One cannot walk through and manicured park and equally compare it with a trek through a swamp. We no longer look upon one another as kith and kin, but as competition for resources. All because we have created an artificial depletion of the resources.
So how does the trajectory get altered? For that, there are no universal solutions. Course correction could begin with examining desire and distilling it to its essence. Oftentimes, that essence looks a lot like fear: fear of missing out, fear or rejection, fear of loss. Even fear of sitting alone with one's own thoughts. Or that desire could come from an inexplicable emptiness.
We cannot outright cease to consume. Modern society has been re-engineered to ensure we are continually in need. However, the rate at which we consume should be dissected. Companies release new models of existing products every year. In some instances, it has been proven and litigated that those same companies design older models to stop functioning efficiently in order to drive sales of newer models. But does a mobile device completely cease to work after a year or two? Or could the same phone or tablet be used for 4 or 5 years? Does a vehicle simply stop running after two years? Or could regular maintenance or a switch to public transportation allow for less automotive debt?
There is no easy way to amend our current culture. It requires mindfulness on everyone's part. Careful attention to how much we spend, how long we scroll and like. Cognizance of how advertising and media manipulates us. The manipulation isn't -- in most cases -- malevolent, but it is omni-present. Look for what groups are being maligned, and embrace them with kindness and empathy. If we are to breakthrough the cycle of consumerism, we must not allow our intense taking to completely overcome us.
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