Socially-responsible consumption
27/04/2008
- Opinión
The consumerism that has taken place in the culture of capitalism is at the root of the hunger of billions of people and the current food shortage of humankind. In the face of such a situation, what should human consumption be?
First, consumption should be suited to human nature. On the one hand, it is material, rooted in nature, and needs material goods to subsist. On the other hand, it is spiritual and feeds on intangible resources like solidarity, love, acceptance and openness to the Infinite. If those two dimensions are not met, we become anemic in body and spirit.
Second, consumption needs to be just and equitable. The Declaration of Human Rights states that food is a vital necessity and, therefore, a fundamental right of every human being (justice) and it is adjusted to the particular needs of each person (equity). If this right is not addressed, the person directly faces death.
Third, consumption should be caring. Consumption is caring when it overcomes individualism and limits itself in the name of love and compassion for those who cannot consume the necessities. Solidarity is expressed in sharing, by participation in and support for movements that seek the means of life such as land, housing, and health. It also implies the willingness to suffer and run the risks that such solidarity entails.
Fourth, consumption has to be responsible. A consumer is responsible when he is aware of the consequences of the consumption pattern he practices, whether it is sufficient and decent, or sophisticated and sumptuous; whether she consumes what she needs or wastes that which will be lacking on the table of others. Responsibility translates into a sober lifestyle, the capacity for self-denial, not out of asceticism but out of love and solidarity with those who suffer need. It's about choosing voluntary simplicity and a consciously restrained pattern that does not yield to the demands of desire or the enticements of advertising. Even though it does not have immediately visible consequences, this attitude is worthy in and of itself. It shows a conviction that is not measured only by results but by the innate value of this human attitude.
Finally, consumption should produce wholeness in the human being. The human being needs knowledge, so we consume a lot of pieces of information while discerning which ones are appropriate and edifying. We need communication and reasoning, and we satisfy this need by nurturing personal and social relationships that allow us to give and receive, and through this interchange we complement each other and grow. Sometimes this communication takes place by participating in demonstrations for justice, for agrarian reform, for preserving drinking water, for nature conservation...or also watching a movie, attending a concert, going to the theatre, visiting an art exhibit, participating in a debate.
We need to love and be loved. We satisfy this need by loving people freely and those who are different from us. We need transcendence, to take risks and go beyond any imposed limitation, to immerse ourselves in God with whom we can commune. All of these kinds of consumption achieve human existence in its multiple dimensions. These kinds of consumption cost nothing and do not waste energy; they simply presume commitment and openness to solidarity, compassion and beauty.
Doesn't all this translate into what we are thinking about when we speak of happiness?
(Free translation from the Spanish provided by Anne Fullerton. Done in Arlington, VA in cooperation with Refugio del Rio Grande, Texas.)
First, consumption should be suited to human nature. On the one hand, it is material, rooted in nature, and needs material goods to subsist. On the other hand, it is spiritual and feeds on intangible resources like solidarity, love, acceptance and openness to the Infinite. If those two dimensions are not met, we become anemic in body and spirit.
Second, consumption needs to be just and equitable. The Declaration of Human Rights states that food is a vital necessity and, therefore, a fundamental right of every human being (justice) and it is adjusted to the particular needs of each person (equity). If this right is not addressed, the person directly faces death.
Third, consumption should be caring. Consumption is caring when it overcomes individualism and limits itself in the name of love and compassion for those who cannot consume the necessities. Solidarity is expressed in sharing, by participation in and support for movements that seek the means of life such as land, housing, and health. It also implies the willingness to suffer and run the risks that such solidarity entails.
Fourth, consumption has to be responsible. A consumer is responsible when he is aware of the consequences of the consumption pattern he practices, whether it is sufficient and decent, or sophisticated and sumptuous; whether she consumes what she needs or wastes that which will be lacking on the table of others. Responsibility translates into a sober lifestyle, the capacity for self-denial, not out of asceticism but out of love and solidarity with those who suffer need. It's about choosing voluntary simplicity and a consciously restrained pattern that does not yield to the demands of desire or the enticements of advertising. Even though it does not have immediately visible consequences, this attitude is worthy in and of itself. It shows a conviction that is not measured only by results but by the innate value of this human attitude.
Finally, consumption should produce wholeness in the human being. The human being needs knowledge, so we consume a lot of pieces of information while discerning which ones are appropriate and edifying. We need communication and reasoning, and we satisfy this need by nurturing personal and social relationships that allow us to give and receive, and through this interchange we complement each other and grow. Sometimes this communication takes place by participating in demonstrations for justice, for agrarian reform, for preserving drinking water, for nature conservation...or also watching a movie, attending a concert, going to the theatre, visiting an art exhibit, participating in a debate.
We need to love and be loved. We satisfy this need by loving people freely and those who are different from us. We need transcendence, to take risks and go beyond any imposed limitation, to immerse ourselves in God with whom we can commune. All of these kinds of consumption achieve human existence in its multiple dimensions. These kinds of consumption cost nothing and do not waste energy; they simply presume commitment and openness to solidarity, compassion and beauty.
Doesn't all this translate into what we are thinking about when we speak of happiness?
(Free translation from the Spanish provided by Anne Fullerton. Done in Arlington, VA in cooperation with Refugio del Rio Grande, Texas.)
https://www.alainet.org/en/articulo/127760
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