The stuff that we buy these days are really endless.
Now the question is not entirely about capitalism or consumerism. The most obvious reason could probably be materialism at it's most simplest form. As Singaporeans, we are always conditioned to strive towards the 5 Cs (or rather the 6 Cs now). Most of us (not all) believe that the pursuit of the 5 Cs is actually a reflection of the amount of status consciousness Singaporeans have. The problem of status consciousness arises because we yearn so much respect and love from the people around us. How other people think of you really affects how you feel about yourself. This is the reason why people pursue material goods because it is the most obvious way to signal to the rest of your peers that you have arrived.
The second aspect is finance, or rather the affordability factor. The amount of stuff that we own these days is staggering, but the utilization rate is not coherent. Studies have shown that we are owning more material goods as what we used to own many years ago. Guerilla marketing, credit loans and attachment (greed) are just the tip of the iceberg of what is happening today. And the spending habits are magnified these days due to the ease of convenience from buying stuff online. The sheer amount of online stores and sales (Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Singles Day, etc) has also added to the never-ending craze of acquiring more and more. Does buying more really make us happier, or rather is it the fear of missing out if you don't buy? The most scary observation is that this habit has gone into auto-pilot mode, and we have a global population pursing excessive material goods on a bigger scale now, and that also results in huge debts for big ticket items.
But now if we pause to ponder for a while, this entire process is actually psychological. If we trace back to the roots of the Maslow Theory, there is indeed very little that we need in the first place. In fact, most of the things that we need to survive are either free or very minimal. Oxygen is free, but lack of clean air might cause one to buy an air purifier and that would be an additional cost. I am not asking you to become a Minimalist as I know it is very difficult, but perhaps it is good to contemplate before you hit the wallet (in fact I do not even own a wallet) to buy any stuff. It would be good and ideal if you are able to strip down to the bare minimum but once again, I know it is not easy in the 21st century due to societal norms and peer pressure. Excess material possessions do not necessary enrich our lives, thus it is important to re-assess our lives again to evaluate what is truly important.
In retrospect, the stuff that we own, end up owning us. It is that simple.
Now the question is not entirely about capitalism or consumerism. The most obvious reason could probably be materialism at it's most simplest form. As Singaporeans, we are always conditioned to strive towards the 5 Cs (or rather the 6 Cs now). Most of us (not all) believe that the pursuit of the 5 Cs is actually a reflection of the amount of status consciousness Singaporeans have. The problem of status consciousness arises because we yearn so much respect and love from the people around us. How other people think of you really affects how you feel about yourself. This is the reason why people pursue material goods because it is the most obvious way to signal to the rest of your peers that you have arrived.
The second aspect is finance, or rather the affordability factor. The amount of stuff that we own these days is staggering, but the utilization rate is not coherent. Studies have shown that we are owning more material goods as what we used to own many years ago. Guerilla marketing, credit loans and attachment (greed) are just the tip of the iceberg of what is happening today. And the spending habits are magnified these days due to the ease of convenience from buying stuff online. The sheer amount of online stores and sales (Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Singles Day, etc) has also added to the never-ending craze of acquiring more and more. Does buying more really make us happier, or rather is it the fear of missing out if you don't buy? The most scary observation is that this habit has gone into auto-pilot mode, and we have a global population pursing excessive material goods on a bigger scale now, and that also results in huge debts for big ticket items.
But now if we pause to ponder for a while, this entire process is actually psychological. If we trace back to the roots of the Maslow Theory, there is indeed very little that we need in the first place. In fact, most of the things that we need to survive are either free or very minimal. Oxygen is free, but lack of clean air might cause one to buy an air purifier and that would be an additional cost. I am not asking you to become a Minimalist as I know it is very difficult, but perhaps it is good to contemplate before you hit the wallet (in fact I do not even own a wallet) to buy any stuff. It would be good and ideal if you are able to strip down to the bare minimum but once again, I know it is not easy in the 21st century due to societal norms and peer pressure. Excess material possessions do not necessary enrich our lives, thus it is important to re-assess our lives again to evaluate what is truly important.
In retrospect, the stuff that we own, end up owning us. It is that simple.
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