lifestyle

Consumption- taking lives since 4000BC

Consumption was historically the term used for the disease we know as Tuberculosis.  It was called this because it was (and still is) a terrible disease that seems to consume people from within.  How ironic, that consumption as we know it today, does exactly the same thing. 

Today when we use the word consumption we are talking about purchasing, eating, listenning, watching and even experiencing things, passively.  This sort of consumption is best understood in opposition to production.  When you consume food you buy and eat.  When you produce food, you design, grow or cook.  When you consume music you listen or watch.  When you produce music you sing, play or compose.  Of course everyone has to consume food and most people want to consume music.  How is it, then, that this consumption can consume us?

Consumption, at its worst, is fueled by our inner desires, and our insecurities.  It is passed along by clever marketing and envy.   It is served up as an antidote to loneliness, aimlessness and plain old boredom.  The real problem with consumption is that the more we consume, the less it is clear who is consuming and who is being consumed.  The further we commit to a lifestyle that is based on consumption, the more our life is consumed by the mass of trinkets, snapshots and empty containers that we are left with.

A life of consumption effectively stops us from pursuing productivity.  Productivity is the act of producing something (physical objects, experiences, relationships, meaning etc.).  If we fill our lives with consumption then there is no time or energy for production.  Spending all night watching Youtube, means that you will have one less night to make your own video.  Feverishly following the latest fashions means that you will have no energy left to produce your own designs.

Production, not consumption, describes your identity.  Is it possible to be defined by what we consume.  I don’t think so.  I read an advertisement that said that my watch is supposed to communicate who I am.  I certainly hope that nobody will try and understand me by my watch.  It is an expensive and attractive watch, but it is sitting on my desk with a flat battery.  There is simply no way that I could possibly express very much about my identity by what I consume.  At best, our consumption gives off tiny clues about our priorities.  It is not what goes into us but what comes out of us that truly explains who we are.

Consumption is a necessary and wonderful thing, but it is also becoming a crippling and addictive drug for many.  Life offers so little when it is reduced to an endless stream of possessions bought and shown off, food eaten but barely tasted, and music owned as a display on your shelf, like trophies. 

Are you thinking about your own life when you read this?  Well you should be.  Excessive consumption involves all of us these days.  Even a habit as innocuous as consuming knowledge can be holding you back from a more meaningful and productive life.  But there is another way.

Why not try gradually replacing consumption with production. 

Right now, instead of continuing to search for new articles to read, why not write an article of your own.  I know I am shooting my own blog in the foot, but instead of continually consuming other people’s work, why not develop your own.  There is something that you can share with the world.  Work out what it is and write about it.  If you have nowhere to publish it, start a blog (there is a link down the bottom to a free blog set up.  If you don’t want a blog, write it up and send it to me.  I will be your audience if that is what it takes to get you producing.  Start it right now while the urge is still fresh.  Stop consuming and start producing.  Let this be the beginning.

There are endless oportunities for replacing consumption with production.  I am not advising anyone to take all of them on, just a few.  Of course we still have to consume to survive and have a fulfilling life.  I just think we should try to get back to a sense of production/consumption balance.

Here are a few types of production that are especially easy and accessible for most people:

1. Instead of being transported (consuming transport) why not produce transport by walking or cycling
2. Instead of buying a music CD, why not make one.  Or more simply instead of listenning to music, why not sing?
3. Instead of going out on a shopping expedition with friends, why not invite your friends in for a craft or writing or cooking night?
4. Instead of continually reading other people’s blogs, why not start your own?
5. Instead of reading my list of examples, why not make your own list

Production isn’t the answer to all of our problems but it will help us to enrich our lives and build our self esteem.  Every night we can go to sleep knowing that we have done something with our day instead of just being a spectator.

 This is just an introductory rant about consumption.  Stay tuned for some more practical articles about productive living over the next 2 weeks.

2 Quick links to get you started (not that you need to consume more links)

 Make magazine  is a great place to find inspiration for what you can produce with your hands and your brain.  Use it to start, not limit your creativity.

Blogger.com is a very easy and free way to get up and running with your very own blog.  Start a blog, write an article, press publish and give it to the world.

Produce your own comment:  What is the most prevalent form of consumption in your life and what can you do about it?