Can Consumerism be Replaced?

Stop capitalism defining human nature Jeremy Seabrook Comment is free guardian.co.uk: "It has now been generally acknowledged that the plunder of nature must cease; but without confronting the source of those predations, our chances of survival are becoming smaller by the day. Some radical questions arise, not the least of which is why it has become so difficult to distinguish between the nature of industrialism and the industrialising of our own nature?"

It seems that Seabrook has either given up completely or that he thinks we ought to reengineeer our personalities. He sneers at consumerism but as most people doing this he does not offer an alternative pastime for the masses. Making small changes to their life by shopping people use their freedom to enrich their lives. One buys a piece of clothing another a book a third a CD.

First of all I do not completely agree that we plunder nature. We rather use resources to create a more decent way of living for most people on Earth. It is my hope that when we have achieved this for most people certain of us are already working on the next stage of human endeavor. I don't see climate change and taking care of the environment as a goal per see. Rather this is an inconvenience that we encountered on the way and one that we will solve as we progress.

Science is one of the great endeavors of man. There are things we need to know about ourselves in medicine and we need to discover more about our surroundings in space. Eventually we will be on our way. It is in our destiny. We need to know better how to organize ourselves politically. However, all of us can't occupy themselves with science. Therefore, as technology takes over our chores we will have to improve the way we socialize with each other. We have already begun with the so call social media. We constantly develop our culture and art. People seek harmony in religion.

Seabrook and others are not pleased with the interest people have going to the market. Something they have been doing for thousands of years. Maybe a little something for their home or for a friend.