A Society Owned by Commodities

I was sitting in a class the other day, and my professor started talking about Karl Marx and commodities. I had never really thought about how much materialism owns our world until then, but when I heard the word 'commodity', I suddenly came to a realization: our society seems to be controlled by commodities.
Think about it for a second... the clothes you wear and the designer sunglasses you sport all determine who you are these days. It's not about what you are doing in the world, no, people judge you based on your appearance. So what do we do? We go out and buy things either to make us fit in or completely stand out from the crowd.
The sad realization I've come to is that I fall into this problem as well. I worry about what I wear sometimes, other times I don't, but still. It's not that I mind standing out, because I don't, but you have to admit, we all get consumed with materialism at some point in our lives. Whether it's owning something by a designer, going to a high-class school, or driving a luxury vehicle, we all become consumed with something that just doesn't really matter.
It's sad that our society puts so much effort in to choosing out something that will probably be unusable in a few years. We could be focusing our efforts elsewhere, like donating our money or time to people and organizations that could really use the extra help. Just imagine how much money you could save or give if you would go to a second hand store and buy a practically brand new pair of jeans instead of those in the actual store itself.
I think it's time we consider downgrading some items and start worrying about what we can do to create change in our world. If we spend everyday worrying about what others think about us and what we should wear, then what are we living for? Each day should be used to make this world a better place to live, and the only way we can create change, is to stop being so selfish... we need to become selfless.

Share this post on:

 •    •    •    •    •