The consumer epidemic....

are we just complacent or on the route to selfish prosperity?

Everything is an epidemic in today's world.

The overuse of antibiotics, doom scrolling, eating too much ultra-processed food and Mcdonalds, chronic health, etc. I could continue listing.

We've not seen such widespread epidemic in this proportion. Where in almost every facet of ones life, lies an epidemic of sorts.

Honestly, it's something to ponder quite profoundly. I've been pondering it for a few years, but couldn't quite pinpoint it.

How did such a gritty and innovated country become folks of mass epidemic. From their spirituality, health, habits, families, and more.

My answer would be the system did it. The corporation take over, while that all played a crucial role, I realized that no one forced anyone into accepting the power overlords—most laid over and allowed it to slowy happen.

Choice by choice.

From a philosophical standpoint the question is always, how did one arrive to this?

How did we deteriorate at such rapid levels while having so much innovation?

I think the answer actually lies in that question. So much innovation.

So much.

When I learned about Middle Ages kings and queens, something I always chuckle at is their gluttony. It's said they would eat and eat, simply because they had access to it and saw themselves above the poor.

If you've also studied history, you’ll learn their health was always in the dumpster.

The excess riches made them none the better.

I recently took back to reading more, since becoming a mother, my time is limited. Reading was one area that I let go of, instead most of my free time was usually scrolling and catching up with my favorite content creators.

But I found something alarming when I went back to reading, my own attention span was fried. Reading chapters seemed too much for my brain.

This was a wake-up call to my habits. I had created an attention span epidemic in my own life, without realizing it.

So, I've set out to change this. A recent book I engulfed, The American Way, it was filled with so much rich history.

One quote that has stuck with me, and answered much of my pondering from Teddy Roosevelt,

“I do not wish to see this country a country of selfish prosperity where those who enjoy the material prosperity think only of the selfish gratification of their own desires and are content to import from abroad not only their art, not only their literature, but even their babies.”

That quote left me in shambles, did Teddy have the ability to time travel? How could he know the fate of America in the early 1900’s? My millennial mind want’s me to think I must be oh the much smarter than some folks from that time, but I know that to be false.

In all honesty, I think these smart devices and unlimited access to whatever we want have made us dumber, and more complacent.

It left me to do more digging on Teddy, I found many more quotes and how he viewed the importance of a family home life. In today’s political landscape, he would be considered “alt-right”.

That’s a whole other epidemic, the strange allegiance to political ideation. But the quote from Teddy was telling.

The “Selfish prosperity where those who enjoy the material prosperity” isn’t that the landscape of our Western culture? We are so engulfed in ourselves. The pursuit of our very own happiness.

Convenience has allowed this in many ways, but as the consumer we have strengthened the demand.

Little by little, from the introduction of the automobile to the Amazon Prime delivery. We want it, and we want it now. I like to call it the consumer epidemic.

We have lost the art of creation. From our food to the clothes we wear, nothing is created by our own hands.

It’s bled so far into our thinking, that motherhood is now seen as such an inconvenience, why bother?

What else will we give over to this consumer epidemic?

Talk soon,

Shelby