A New View

In talking about a “cultural transformation”, Erik Assadourian pushes for the idea of limiting consumerism and changing the way that we as people view how we use things. Rather than thinking we are happy for just having the latest gadget, we should take pride in our efforts to conserve as much as we currently do to consume. While Assadourian points out that the effort to change our culture is a hard task as it is “embedded” within us, he does push for the fact that we need to find “cultural pioneers” who can objectively view our habits and spend their lives trying to change the way we view being consumers.

The only problem with the idea Assadourian is pushing is the time length. It is alright to talk about easy going solutions which can save our planet with the help of a few good men, but changing the attitudes of over 7 billion people in just a few decades is almost impossible. If these “pioneers” came from the developed world, the reaction of those in the developing world would most likely be why are you restricting our livelihood even though you were able to live in the lap of luxury. Likewise, should a “pioneer” come from the developing world, the vast amount of resources available at the hands of major multinational institutions would drown out any effort these individuals would put forth keeping us on our own destiny with destruction.

Yet I do not think we really need “pioneers” to set us straight. If you are not abhorred by some of the data set forth by Assadourian then you really need a reality check into both your way of life and common sense. While it is ok that we do use our affluence to buy things, extracting enough resources to build 112 Empire State Buildings is just absurd. While the concept of water on the go is useful for many activities, why would anybody buy water that studies have proven is less healthy then tap water especially 60 billion dollars worth of it.

However our embarrassing behavior has been so bad, it has caused some natural pushback which is fighting for planet earth. I do agree with Assadourian that the best way to combat this effect is by shifting the paradigm of how we view consumerism. If the most powerful person in the supply chain is really the consumer, then by shifting the value patterns of how we buy and what we view in a successful company, then in turn it will change the way producers create things slowly turning our world into a sustainable one.