Consumerism, the cultivation and expansion of wants in a limited world is the antithesis of wisdom. It is also the antithesis of peace and freedom. Every increase of wants tends to increase one’s dependence on outside forces, over which we cannot have control, and increased conflicts with our neighbors in an already over-crowded world.
My friend Frank from England recently bought the most expensive 17 inch MacBook Pro and upgraded to the latest iPhone. After a month he still hasn’t figured out how to make a phone call or use the camera on the iphone. He carries the MacBook around, but actually uses a public computer in the UBC library. He signed up for the fastest Telus broadband internet package. Setting up his MacBook to use Telus service, I discovered his whole building already had free high-speed cable internet.
I could understand his behavior if Frank was rich, but he’s retired on a fixed pension scraping enough money together to pay for his lunch. He asked me how an electrical engineer like myself could be satisfied with a basic Nokia cell and a used $300 Dell laptop that’s already 3 years ago. It’s does everything that I need I replied. “But you don’t get to show off to all your friends.”
Maybe because I’m an engineer, I delight in taking something suboptimal and finding the way to squeeze the most juice out of it. Instead of spending money on a yearly exotic vacation, I like to find a creative way to have a great vacation in my own province.
A big house means more things to fix, more rooms to clean, rent and more things to worry about. How can I find a small cheap place in a great location and make it a comfortable place for the family to live?
A car means insurance payments, gas, parking and repair bills. A used bicycle will get you around. My favorite part of the day is cycling even if it’s to work. Plus each kilometer you pedal makes you healthier.
Traveling on expense account I was able to eat in expensive restaurants. I usually ended up feeling awful after the rich food. A diet with lots of vegetables and fruit with only a little meat is more satisfying and will save you from an early heart attack and cancer. It’s the cheapest life insurance you can buy for your family.
I could cultivate a taste for expensive wines. But why not be satisfied with home-made wine instead.
Basically the more elevated your wants are, the less free you become. You end up like a dog harnessed to a cart chasing after a carrot from a stick. Never able to be satisfied.
The Stoics recommended that life should be as close as possible to Nature. For millions of years man has been walking. So we can assume that doing lots of walking every day will be good for us.
Man is a hunter and gatherer with a diet of fruits, vegetables, nuts and occasionally meat. Pretty much the diet doctors recommend as well.