So in the previous post, I made a short comment about the ridiculousness that we need consumption to keep the economy flowing. If consumption falls, there's a chance the economy falls into recession and people lose their jobs and everyone suffers...
Ever wonder why that's the case?
Think about it.
It's a simple answer...
Debt.
And the whole world is drowning in debt.
Businesses borrow money to buy equipment and produce things. If their products aren't bought, the company closes down, people loses their jobs, banks who lend money loses their money.
When people lose their jobs, they can't pay their debt as well, their home mortgages, car loan, etc. Banks lose money again.
The truth is, there's really only a few items we need for our daily lives, and we don't really need to consume so much. We don't need to waste so much. We don't need to own 120 t-shirts and 20 pairs of jeans. But yet... Many people do.
And many people just keep buying and throwing away and buying and the cycle continues. Cos we are exposed to so much marketing that we NEED all these things. And marketers know that humans love the dopermine when people buy stuff so they make things easy to buy and so readily available.
But yet if we think about it deeper, how did all these problems arise?
Due to debt.
If I work and earn and buy a plot of land and rear a bunch of chickens and plant some vegetables. I can relatively be self sustaining. How much can I eat everyday? If the rest of the world stops consuming, what does it matter to me?
It's an oversimplification, but the idea is... Why can't the economy be in a state of self sustenance? Why must it keep growing and people keep consuming to keep the economy going?
But also, I'd admit, that debt allows things to develop faster. Like if a government borrows money to build roads and infrastructure. Or it also helps businesses develop as well and can help provide a good service to society, like maybe a telco company who may borrow money to build towers for reception.
From my point of view... There is a limit to consumption. Most people don't need alot of things. But when they are exposed to marketing and temptation, they very naturally just consume more. Everyone has loads of items in their homes, but how many items are used on a monthly basis? Weekly basis? Daily basis?
But yet when people slow down on consumption, economies face a recession and people lose their jobs and homes and everyone suffers.
Is this a stupid system? For me, I think it's ridiculous. It's like a Ponzi scheme. It must keep going. Else everything will fall apart.
But yet, if people banded together and create small self sustaining communities, wouldn't that be better for the Earth and everyone else?
Economies wouldn't be so reliant on mindless consumption and buying new stuff, people would not be in debt, they would have more time to develop relationships and enjoy life more.
Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like the system is going to change anytime soon. And somehow many people are stuck in this cycle of consumption and debt.
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Ever wonder why that's the case?
Think about it.
It's a simple answer...
Debt.
And the whole world is drowning in debt.
Businesses borrow money to buy equipment and produce things. If their products aren't bought, the company closes down, people loses their jobs, banks who lend money loses their money.
When people lose their jobs, they can't pay their debt as well, their home mortgages, car loan, etc. Banks lose money again.
The truth is, there's really only a few items we need for our daily lives, and we don't really need to consume so much. We don't need to waste so much. We don't need to own 120 t-shirts and 20 pairs of jeans. But yet... Many people do.
And many people just keep buying and throwing away and buying and the cycle continues. Cos we are exposed to so much marketing that we NEED all these things. And marketers know that humans love the dopermine when people buy stuff so they make things easy to buy and so readily available.
But yet if we think about it deeper, how did all these problems arise?
Due to debt.
If I work and earn and buy a plot of land and rear a bunch of chickens and plant some vegetables. I can relatively be self sustaining. How much can I eat everyday? If the rest of the world stops consuming, what does it matter to me?
It's an oversimplification, but the idea is... Why can't the economy be in a state of self sustenance? Why must it keep growing and people keep consuming to keep the economy going?
But also, I'd admit, that debt allows things to develop faster. Like if a government borrows money to build roads and infrastructure. Or it also helps businesses develop as well and can help provide a good service to society, like maybe a telco company who may borrow money to build towers for reception.
From my point of view... There is a limit to consumption. Most people don't need alot of things. But when they are exposed to marketing and temptation, they very naturally just consume more. Everyone has loads of items in their homes, but how many items are used on a monthly basis? Weekly basis? Daily basis?
But yet when people slow down on consumption, economies face a recession and people lose their jobs and homes and everyone suffers.
Is this a stupid system? For me, I think it's ridiculous. It's like a Ponzi scheme. It must keep going. Else everything will fall apart.
But yet, if people banded together and create small self sustaining communities, wouldn't that be better for the Earth and everyone else?
Economies wouldn't be so reliant on mindless consumption and buying new stuff, people would not be in debt, they would have more time to develop relationships and enjoy life more.
Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like the system is going to change anytime soon. And somehow many people are stuck in this cycle of consumption and debt.
<<PREVIOUS POST // NEXT POST>>
Did you like this post? If so, could you "blanjah" me 1/4 cup of my morning coffee pls.
You may also consider subscribing to receive the articles in your email, link in the column on the right.
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