I saw a TV ad from Walmart that says, “Get in and get more Christmas.” Hence, if you want more Christmas, get more stuff from Walmart. It’s simple and sweet, and altogether missing the point of true Christmas.
Okay, so we all know about the commercialism of Christmas. It seems a losing battle, trying to keep the true meaning of Christmas. Why fight it? Here’s why.
Retailers do not see Christmas shoppers as citizens who are passionately celebrating faith, family, and community; rather they see us as mere consumers. And sadly that’s how we see ourselves as well.
We are a nation defined by consumerism: I the consumer—an acceptable self-image in our national psyche. We buy and sell. We make deals. We get. We consume.
And the more we get the better off we think we are.
And we’re never satisfied.
For the consumer, there is no such thing as “enough is enough,” or “be content with what you have.” Such an attitude is bad for the economy. What’s good for the economy is to buy, use, throw away, and begin the cycle again, buy, use, throw away, ad infinitum.
Thus, we don’t applaud and celebrate Christmas; rather we purchase and consume Christmas; more stuff = more Christmas!
Here’s the problem. We are consuming the good earth itself, eating up and trashing our resources, wasting and tossing, rather than investing and building, enhancing and preserving our resources.
Remember the old saying: “Business is business”?
NO!! Rather, business is people. Business is constructing life, building community, health and vitality, nurturing family relationships. The business of business should actually be the building of meaningful and thriving communities, building Life.
Thus, our focus is misguided. Attitudinally speaking, it seems that businesses are now only in business for profiteering from the addicted consumer. But what’s the alternative? As I’ve already said, businesses should be in business for providing meaningful and significant goods and services that enable citizens to build and construct meaningful lives. There is a slight difference between the two foci, but it makes a world of difference with respect to a business’s fundamental attitude and perspective about doing business.
We consumers need a new self-image. We should not be content to be reduced to self-serving consumers. We need to see ourselves as creators, makers, and builders. But what are we building? We need to be building strong, stable, and equitable communities that thrive on goodness, justice, and good neighborliness. We need to see employment not merely as a means toward making money, but as a means of positive engagement toward creative development in constructing a healthy and thriving society, people, and nation. In short, we should be willing to do hard work, not just for its pay but for its meaningful outcome—other than the accumulation of stuff.
So, how should consumers buy?
Buy reasonably and with discretion. Buy useful and needful, not just for indulgence and show. Buy within your means and budget, not just because your debt limit allows you to get more than you can actually afford. Buy with integrity and honesty; don’t be easily scammed by your own uncontrollable desire to indulge in greedy gain. Buy with the purpose and intent to build and create, to preserve and sustain, to keep and enhance earth’s resources for present and future generations.
How should sellers sell?
Sell actual value. Sell quality. Sell to serve. Sell not only for the sake of profit; sell for the sake of serving your community. Sell to provide useful goods and needful services that allow for thriving communities and growing families. Sell justly and equitably. Sell to spread the wealth not to steal the wealth.
So, let us no longer think of ourselves as mere Consumers. We are life builders. We are constructing families, communities, and long lasting friendships. We are not about consuming and throwing away. We are about working to build and preserve what is good, right, and wholesome.
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