Contentment is a radical proposition in our consumer society–but it doesn’t have to be.
In the book Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer writes “In a consumer society, contentment is a radical proposition. Recognising abundance rather than scarcity undermines an economy that thrives by creating unmet desires. Gratitude cultivates an ethic of fullness, but the economy needs emptiness.”
In our consumer society, it’s often hard to imagine the last time we felt content. The “mainstream” has caused us to be constantly faced with an abundance of content which influences us on what to buy, how to live, and what to believe.
Contentment is seen as unattainable, something that only a rich few may hope to achieve, but really, it is a necessity to heave us out of the climate crisis we find ourselves in.
Compared with our 1950s counterparts, we eat out twice as often, own twice as many cars, and enjoy an endless amount of commodities that didn’t exist back then, such as handheld devices, big-screen TVs, and fancy SUVs, but psychologically, we aren’t actually any happier. Our materialistic values may actually be linked to lower life satisfaction.
It feels like we’ve co-created an over-consuming society, with businesses producing what the public “demands”, and parents buying what their children need to “fit in”. Our identity and self-esteem, desire for belonging, need for comfort, security, and respect of others are all caught up in patterns of consumption.
Societal norms have conditioned us to believe that you have to buy presents as a means of expressing your care and love. The more presents you buy, whether it be for your children, your loved ones, or your friends, and the costlier the present is, the more you care for or love this person. If the neighbour's wife got a designer bag for Christmas whereas yours only got a new dress, and the kid next door got a PS5 for their birthday but yours only got a new toy, then they obviously love their family more than you do.
We all believe we will magically be happier once we’ve done this or bought that, but then we obtain the thing, whether it be a new phone, a promotion, or a new partner, and the “happiness boost” didn’t last half as long as we were expecting, quickly turning to the next thing to make us happier. We are always chasing the never-ending novelty.
Online shopping makes buying easy, with a click of a button we can spend our money on anything, anywhere, at any time, products are cheaper than ever, pushing us to buy things without a second thought. This way of shopping also doubles down on the dopamine effect we get from shopping, giving us a hit when we make our purchases and when the product arrives.
We are living in an era of fabricated demand and compulsive over-consumption. The societal pressures coupled with the fact that shopping has never been easier have created a consumption level higher than ever before.
Our overconsumption is causing us to destroy natural ecosystems, put incredible strain on our planet, and pile landfills higher and higher. This excess resource extraction is resulting in biodiversity loss and the destruction of our natural world.
Companies, green or not, have a vested interest in making you buy more stuff because if you don’t they go broke, which is why everyone now makes a “green” or “sustainable product”. This turns the problem onto the consumer, blaming you for not living the right lifestyle or buying the right stuff.
I’ve seen many discussions which suggest we work towards “sustainable consumption”, a way in which we buy the greener options as a way to “vote” with our money, and pull ourselves out of the climate crisis. We are led to believe that growing the economy–buying more–is how we stop climate change.
This capitalist growth model, though, counteracts the work being done to decrease the world’s emissions. Consuming better is often just an illusion, climate change cannot be stopped by consuming better, only by consuming less. In fact, 1% growth in GDP leads to a 0.5% to 0.8% increase in carbon emissions. Something has to give, and that is consumption in richer countries.
(None of this is to say stop shopping sustainably–if you do need to buy something, always choose the green option when possible, but before buying, consider whether this item is something you actually need. Buying sustainably made clothes is great, but not if you’re still buying five new items every week.)
Overconsumption creates an inherently miserable society. In our never-ending quest for abundance, people are more overwhelmed, stressed out, and unhappier than ever before. The thing is, we have never needed to consume to be happy–in reality, a population of 10 billion could live a very good lifestyle using as much energy as we did in the 1960s.
The energy usage of the global north’s countries could be slashed by 90%, whilst still guaranteeing decent living standards for all. How? Reducing consumption and clean, renewable energy resources.
We would have to reduce second homes, biannual tech upgrades, seasonal purchases, and daily meat consumption, but what this decent living would still include, comfortable climate control (heating and air conditioning) washing machines and fridge freezers, laptops and mobile phones, robust transportation networks, universal healthcare, and much more.
But this vision cannot be reconciled with a system that requires permanent growth in economic output. We need to rein in excessive consumption, drastically reduce our energy use, and flatten global and national inequalities. The smaller our needs, the easier the transition to degrowth will be.
We can feel contentment, satisfaction, self-esteem, and joy without excess consumption. How much more enjoyable would life be with less debt, less pressure to buy and compete, and fewer worries about fitting in, all because you’re happy within yourself? Enjoying the simpler things, appreciating your own qualities, and discovering small joys in life are all ways to help you feel contentment.
We may not (yet) be able to live a utopian vision of luxury for all, but it’s possible to provide a decent living standard for everyone. If the alternative is environmental catastrophe, this kind of world seems pretty desirable.
Read next:
The Library Economy: A saving grace in the climate crisis
AI & automation, what does the future hold for creatives?
Inspiration and resources
https://milkweed.org/book/braiding-sweetgrass
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0ckvo2Z5BU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnn6zMlKcfE
https://www.apa.org/monitor/jun04/discontents
https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/consumption-patterns-behaviour-change
https://positivepsychology.com/hedonic-treadmill/
https://www.sparksustainability.com/sparkblog/we-cant-buy-our-way-out-of-climate-change
https://truthout.org/articles/a-green-new-deal-must-not-be-tied-to-economic-growth/
this was one of my favorite parts of braiding sweetgrass! one thing i think a lot about in this vein is maintenance. we have a very throwaway culture and i think maintenance is a way to kind of regain our appreciation for what we have while also making sure we don't throw away as much stuff. thanks for writing and sharing!
Fascinating fact that we could live off the same amount of energy as the 1960's! Reassuring !