Hidden Worldviews: Chapter 3 Consumerism

Chapter three of Hidden Worldviews by Steve Wilkens and Mark L. Sanford is about consumerism and the fine line between consuming things the way we should through Scripture and using much more than we actually need, making us consumers. At the most basic level, we all must consumer things. It unavoidable to not eat, drink, wear or live all must come from nature. That is any form of biological life. Humans however are more than this and must fulfill our social, educational, cultural and spiritual needs and desires. This requires natural resources to a degree. It is impossible to say that the consumption that makes life possible is bad. Beyond this though, it is clear that we must consume things to preserve and enhance our lives, but there is also the danger that responsible consumption will degenerate into consumerism. Consumerism is “a worldview that starts wit something that is a relative good-consumption- and makes it an absolute good” (Wilkens & Sanford pg. 45). Those that are consumers believe that we can find fulfillment by accumulating wealth and everything that comes with it. Although a consumerist “worldview is that almost non one will admit that they believe that salvation can be found by acquiring and using things” (Wilkens & Sanford pg. 45). We use way more than we actually need but why do we do this? They proceed to explain reasons why we continue to se more than we need.
We all desire fulfilling and satisfying lives that are meaningful. Everyone’s may differ in what actually fulfill and satisfies us but we all have a degree of satisfaction in many things we own and consume the authors go on to say. It is unavoidable attaching meaning to things but where is the fine line into consumerism. This line “is when we adopt the idea that all our relevant needs are fulfilled by the meaning we attach to the accumulation and use of things” (Wilkens & Sanford pg. 46). What this boils down to is that money is power. Money provides an access to multiple types of power and this is what consumerism is built on. Money also creates power in the form of status as well as provides the power to protect us against some of the uncertainties of life. Money also has other influences such as defining what we should consider important. People who live in the Western world realize that the majority of us have more than sufficient resources that take care of our basic needs but continue to want more. The rich and the poor can be apart of consumerism because not only do the rich want “just a little bit more” the poor can believe that money is the solution to their search for fulfillment because its natural for you to want more. People have become objects to consume more now than ever before and we continue to accept this gratification. Once we have reached this point of fulfillment, we begin to discard these value things and move to our next fulfillment.
Although there are downsides to consumerism there are some things that are right. Humans have needs that are directly addressed by consumption. “There is an almost one-to-one correspondence between using material goods and satisfying a need at this fundamental level” (Wilkens & Sanford pg. 51). In other words, consumerism is correct when it notes that all humans have essential needs that are connected with consumption. We are able to determine how to use our resources and consumerism promotes competition and new ideas are the good attributes that consumerism offers. On the other had, one problem with it is consumerism is reductionistic in defining our needs. “Reductionism is consumerisms tendency to reduce our needs to a single category” (Wilkens & Sanford pg. 53). Another problem with consumerism is that consumerism redefines our values. Our values in life Is a long list when you think it through it goes from world disasters to making a payment for a bill. There are many things that we are afraid of losing. It is our responsibility to assert control over certain aspects of our live s and the environments around us, and money used within proper limits can be very useful. The danger comes when money creates the illusion that all things are potentially under our control.
I enjoyed this chapter more than most we have covered so far through this semester. I relate this chapter in many aspects of my life. Its so broad of what we have of value in our life. Money, food, clothes, shelter, you name it and beyond those there are many aspects within them that creates our wants and needs. It’s learning the differences between these wants and needs that is what is so important. Although something may be a need it can be created into a want and that’s when you begin to see consumerism come into affect. Learning what the fine line between the two is what is key about this chapter.