Life is complicated enormously by modern propaganda.
Commercials and advertisements work relentlessly to convince us products manufactured on assembly lines will bring us joy and make us insanely happy. But in reality they make us more insane than happy.
The goal of Madison Avenue is to prompt discontent, increase desire, and change our attitude from “That’s extravagant” to “I need it.”
They are so subtle at their craft we hardly realize we are being brainwashed. Slowly, they take control of our desires, our checkbooks, and our life.
Becoming Minimalist was founded on and has remained true to one simple message: Owning less is better than pursuing more. Possessions do not equal joy—even worse, they often distract us from it.
But to live this out on a daily basis, we must be mentally prepared to counter the pull and influence of consumerism.
We must remind ourselves often that happiness is not an item to be purchased, it is a decision to be enjoyed. Our happiness is not based on possessions.
Some of the most joyful people I have ever met live in extreme poverty while some of the wealthiest people I know are miserable. Happiness is not found in the abundance of possessions. It is a decision we make each morning.
It is wise to identify what advertisements are trying to sell us. The emphasis in modern advertising has moved from providing factual information on a product to creating associations in the mind of a consumer.
Most advertisements are not trying to sell us on the material properties of the item. Instead, they appeal to our subconscious desires (status, sex, prestige, happiness, appearance, self-esteem, identity, or reputation) or subconscious fears (loneliness, security, weaknesses, uncertainty). Be aware of their strategy, look for it, and don’t be fooled.
Buy things for their usefulness, not their status. Purchase items for their ability to meet your needs, not for their ability to impress your neighbor. Apply this principle everywhere—your house, your car, your clothes, and your hobbies are all good places to start.
Intentionally and purposefully seek to remove advertisements from your life. Cancel your junk-mail (both physical and digital). Mute your radio/TV during advertisements or better yet, stop watching television altogether. Enjoy outdoor recreation (biking, exercising, hiking, gardening, camping) or occupy your mind with reading, art, conversation, philosophy, or meditation.
Enforce a 30-day wait period on major purchases. The extra month will provide ample opportunity to answer the question, “Do I really need this?” It will also help you answer these questions: “Are there any subconscious motives to this purchase?,” “Which brand is the highest quality?,” “Can I find it cheaper elsewhere?,” “How likely is it this purchase will soon become unused?” and “Am I controlling my decision or am I being manipulated by someone else?”
Join our joyful revolution. More and more people are choosing to say “no” to the mindless collection of material possessions and say “yes” to more important pursuits instead.
Overwhelmingly, these people are adamant that life is better when the influence of consumerism has been broken. You will most certainly agree.
BrownVagabonder says
Waiting 30 days for a big purchase works really well for me. Usually, I have this rule for smaller purchases – I usually wait overnight before making the purchase. If the purchase still enthralls me after a night of cool-down, then I let go and spend the $100 on the item. In a lot of the cases, I don’t care about that item anymore, so I push it off. Until the next time, the demon of advertising whacks me in the head.
Thank you for the post.
Josh Andrews says
I feel bad for reading this post only now. I just ordered one of those wearable gadgets for me and my wife. I did try to hold off buying it, it’s been weeks. But I don’t know what urged me to obsess on it again and now I eventually hit the buy button. I feel like it’s unavoidable!
Macy says
Return them as soon as they arrive!!!
Deanna Perez says
I look forward to your blog. It keeps me accountable and focused on the eternal rather than the now. Thanks Joshua.
Jill says
I worked with my teenage daughter on a project about consumerism and advertising for school. One of the things that they had to do was analyze a commercial to determine how the product is being “pushed”. It was very eye-opening for both of us. Now, any time either of us see an ad or commercial, we can see the truth beneath the glamor.
Graham says
I find this particularly easy to do. I know I do not need a lot of stuff or duplicates of junk.
The problem comes with my girlfriend. She has 2 children, that no matter my best efforts, are heavily influenced by the larger culture. There is no way to get her family on board either. The kids have 3 sets of grandparents and a lot of relatives. Her family has considerable disposable income. The kids get showered with a ton of useless junk and my girlfriend vehemently defends her families right to do so. I never win these battles. As a result the kids learn that consuming is good and why ever reuse things or find used things because you can just go to the store and get the latest, shiniest version. They have the same attitude towards food and resources too. Drives me insane.
Susan says
Maybe it’s time to re-think this girlfriend. She may break your bank some day.
Judy says
It seems that the issue is what her family is spending. It’s not clear that the girl friend is doing the big spending. People in that situation could ask for experience rather than goods. Zoos, museums and the like. Or college funds
Judy says
I hate shopping. :)
Rachel @ Intentionally Simple says
Even though my two little boys (ages 3 and 5) watch very little TV, I’ve been amazed at their knowledge of products, companies, logos and jingles from what little advertising they’re exposed to. Obviously, we can’t completely escape advertising but we do talk about what companies are trying to sell with their advertising and help make our children aware of the goals of advertisers.
We’re raising our children to value people, giving and experiences over things and hopefully the influence of consumerism will never take root in their lives.
Graham says
Hopefully. I have two step-children who went to Waldorf school and are very aware of certain things like our tainted food supply and such. We also live away in the country a bit. However, that does not stop the culture. It seeps in very effectively. Children are hardwired for entertainment. Most of what is sold under other guises in our culture is really entertainment.
If you have family members who do not care then you have a real struggle as well. They will aid the greater culture in its pursuit to turn children into zombie consumers with no imaginations.
I have watched these children slowly go from creative individuals to screen watching zombies with no imaginations anymore. Whatever they learned at Waldorf in their early years is all but gone. They just seem to wait around for the external world to entertain them.
Cheryl Smith says
This is SO true. We don’t even have television in our home. There is so much out there that I don’t even want to know about…not only the commercialism and mind manipulation that is motivated by trying to coerce us to buy things we don’t need or haven’t even heard of, but also the infiltration of mindsets that are not conducive to the wholesome, filtered atmosphere in which we seek to raise our son and foster in our home. We have even downsized the amount of news we take in. I think one of the most important components of minimalism is to unclutter our minds and be intentional about what we allow to enter and reside there. The battle is in the mind, and if we win victory there, it will automatically spill over into every other part of our lives. Thanks for this post…you are doing an amazing job here.
Silvia says
Esto es excelente!! Felicitaciones por la reflexión. Me encanta.
Maureen@ADebtFreeStressFreeLife says
I certainly fell victim of the draw of consumerism. You don’t accrue 50K of debt and not be hypnotized by it. What I came to realize when I was broke, cut off from credit, working towards changing my relationship with money was how much happier I had become because I was finally forced to focus on relationships. My friends and family gave me more joy and happiness in my life than anything I ever bought. Today, almost 14 years later since the start of my journey, I still ask myself if I need what I want to buy. I will probably always have to ask the questions as old addictions are easy to break, hard to be consistent with implementation. It’s a dance of always being aware of what’s going on and meeting personal needs in other ways that don’t require shopping. I’m a happier person and continue to strive for greater degrees of joy and contentment. Thanks again for another great post.
Neirie says
This is a really hard thing to do. Thanks for showing the way and be a role model .