Portion Control

This same concept is alive with regards to information consumption. It is amazing what an intense level of information is constantly being shoved in front of me as a consumer each day. With so many forms of ultra-low-quality processed news seeking to fill our minds with useless and often negative info, it is important for me to use the same sort of gourmet chef screening process with my information and news intake.. Subscribing to a few very select, high quality newsletters, interest groups, and blogs such as this rather than relying on watching primetime news and television have made for a healthier mental state of being in my own experience.

A Few Good Ones:

Surfrider Foundation
Renewable Energy Access
Third Sector
San Diego Baykeepers

Wille,
I couldn’t agree with you more. I’m so fed up with consumerism I, my family, do not participate in Christmas anymore. Not for religious reasons, but for consumer overload. My three kids used to literally attack us in October on all of the things they “needed” directly due to advertising. So last year I gave them each $100 to buy whatever they wanted, after they paid for the gift they picked from an angel tree. They thought they were in heaven. They promptly bought an inexpensive gift for the angel tree and proceeded to buy themselves whatever they could afford. After they were done and proud of themselves for such fine purchases, we went to the angel tree and delivered their gifts. Then we went directly to the Marine standing by the Toys for Tots bin and I had the children deposit all of their remaining toys. The surprise was priceless. Some people may think this was a cruel hox, but as a 20 year Marine Corps veteran I have seen places where owning two shirts is a luxory. Having a complete change of clothes is beyond comphrehension. My children think that they are entitled to as many toys as I can charge. A hard, frank lesson sure, but it opened their eyes to what they “need” and what they want.
This year we are going down to an orphanage in Mexico and the kids will use their money to buy blankets and things for the needy third world children of this world.
Don’t misunderstand me. I love my boat, my surfboard, my motorcycles, etc. But, I have earned the money to purchase them. I’m not “entitled” to them. Like your brother time to do the things that are valuable is time well spent. Spending money for something on sale, to save money, on an “uneeded” item is not saving money or time.
As Dr. Dyer says “the last suit you will ever wear, doesn’t need pockets. You can’t take it with you.” Enjoy the items you use, but purchase items and spend time wisely, because truly time is money. You can spend time earning money, but you can’t earn time spending money.

Great commentary, Will. And as Mr. Strachan has mentioned, this problem is pervasive in many ways. What’s interesting is the research being done in the field of evolutionary psychology on this — how we appear genetically predisposed to accumulate and how our abundance has become a detriment.

One of the leading thinkers in this field, Nigel Nicholson, points out that our brains haven’t evolved to match the pace of technology and “advancement” — we are living with Stone Age minds in a high-tech world. And one consequence is that we fill our lives with more (information, possessions, activities, people, things to remember, etc.) than our minds can process, leading to stress and overwhelm.

Unfortunately, the marketers and media have tapped into this subconscious feeling we have that “more is better” and we’re left holding the bag.

Andrew Chapman
Co-Author Overwhelm: Living a Balanced Life in the Age of Abundant Choices
http://www.InvincibleLife.com

AMEN!! The more possessions you have, the more they possess you! Anyone who knows someone (perhaps even themselves) who has a fettish for buying stuff just because it’s a “good deal” will surely get a good laugh from Diamond Rio’s song “Stuff.”
Worse than the clutter itself is the mental and emotional burden it creates. Until you’re freed from that load it’s hard to recognize just how taxing it can be on your physical and mental energy.
In most cases, less is more, and better certainly is better!
Brian Judy

I am a professional organizer and interior designer. I can tell you horror stories about the “crap” I clean out of people’s homes including but not limited to excessive clothing, tools, toys, toiletries, wrapping garb, unused gifts, etc. as well as my personal favorite “Tchotchke”. This includes food. I am a devout vegetarian and try to limit the crap my family eats as well!!

Thanks for the visual with your story…I couldn’t agree more.

Will, I wanted to comment about your recent article on portion control. The issues surrounding healthy food are critical to our survival as a species. Omnivore’s Dilemma is an excellent way to begin thinking about food as is Jane Goodall’s book Harvest for Hope. I personally am appalled to learn how our food supply is contaminated and how government has begun to strip away our rights to know what is in our food (for example, Pennsylvania passed a law recently prohibiting milk producers from labelling their dairy products as bovine growth hormone free - all thanks to the lobbying efforts of Monsanto who produces Rbgh and found farmers dropping their orders b/c consumers were preferring to purchase hormone free dairy products. By preventing consumers from making that choice, Monsanto can reinstate its sales with dairy farms who were dropping the hormones - appalling!)

What we put into our bodies is critical to our survival. Increases in diabetes, cancer and immune disorders is undoubtedly linked to the deteriorating food supply. My husband and I are committed to clean food, clean water and fair wages. We support a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program in the Phoenix area www.desertrootsfarm.com . Each week, the farmer delivers freshly harvested organic produce to our door. In an effort to walk our talk, we also provide this produce as a benefit to our 14 employees in our Phoenix business. It has helped to expose them to the real taste difference of freshly grown organic (not supermarket trucked in) produce and we have seen it as a catalyst to other changes in their health and behavior. As a small employer, we don’t have to provide health insurance for our employees (but we do), we don’t have to help improve their lives (but we do). We think that it’s about giving light, so people can find the way. (The words from a song written by folk duo Magpie - www.magpiemusic.com ) It also means sharing with our staff the newsletters from Rachel’s Organization about clean, healthy environmental choices, an office wide magazine subscription to publications like Sierra Magazine, Ode, Natural Health and others to help them see a little bit more about what their choices are. One of our employees has lost 50 pounds, now getting him to stop smoking is another issue!

I so hate consumerism as well. It’s a sign of our throwaway values and the primitive or non-existent thought process that goes along with it.

To me, this quote says it all. You can substitute the word “life” for “house” and make it that much more all-encompassing…

Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.
~William Morris

Having spent the last 13 years working for one of the largest club based wholesalers (not Sam’s Club), this topic really hit close to home. My job is essentially to find a way to get the best value to our members… what ever it takes. We all have heard the jokes about tubs of mayo and kegs of beans, but there must be some sort of connection between supply (me) and demand (consumers). We are only a corporation, we are not a conscious or a value and it’s the bottom line that usually decides our course of action. So who really has the power in this relationship, the supply or the demand? I see a direct correlation between consumerism, politics, mores, and culture.

Change the demand = change the supply. Simple.