These days, we are constantly tempted to consume. The excessive supply in the supermarket, the streamed film, Wednesday’s, Thursday ‘s and Friday ‘s TV detective programmes are being delivered straight to the home. Travelling is meant to provide at least a short respite from the boring day to day life. We are being waited on in restaurants and by delivery services. Money is provided by the bank, the foreign language by Google translate. Pills are relied on to help for every minor ailment, let’s not do anything ourselves or tolerate anything. As convenient and tempting all this seems at first glance, this comfortable lifestyle is damaging in the long run. We lose more and more of our own skills. When we are being waited on, our muscles waste away, when we are absorbed by the TV, we are not thinking for ourselves, when we see the baddies in TV detective programmes, we are no longer caring about what we could to better ourselves. When we take medication for every minor ailment, we forget how to listen to our own body, we no longer know what it needs. Banks, society, media, politics and consumer industries determine our lives more and more because we have become too comfortable as citizens and let others do everything for us. A comfortable life is not a life that makes us strong and wise or keeps us healthy. Maybe next time we can be more careful when tempting products are offered to us and ask ourselves: do I really need this? What can I do myself to contribute to my health and a good world? Is the apple I can harvest myself not better than some chocolate bar from the supermarket. Is the food we cook ourselves not a nicer experience than having everything delivered? Does something I made or fixed myself not bring greater joy than the things that are being delivered perfectly? These is also another reason not to get too hooked on consumption. We all have no guarantee that the times of luxury will always stay as they are. What will people do if they have forgotten how to help themselves? It makes sense to acquire and retain own skills and competencies. Only through this we become and remain independent, are able to cope with life and can stay alive, even if some circumstances change.
I’m wishing you much joy in learning and practicing your own skills and competencies. Have a good week!
Gertrud Müller
