How Much Is Enough?

We have become a society of people that want it now and are incapable of controlling their urges. Depending on which side of the fence you find yourself this could be good or bad. Durning’s article and the statistics it contained is a revelation that needs to be address sooner than later. Durning states; “each generation should meet its needs without jeopardizing the prospects of future generations”. We have known for years that the earth is suffering from a depletion of her natural resources, yet we continue to squeeze out every last ounce. We are the largest consumers of water and waste more than is available to lesser societies than ours.

I believe that part of the problem lies within the conceptual idea that I can use as much as I want as long as I am willing to pay for it. In paying they then become complacent to its usage as they now have a sense of ownership. Therefore, not only must we protect the limited resources that are available to us, but we must also educate those that are willing to listen. Thus, creating another obstacle as people do not listen. In Durning’s writing he acknowledges that it would be naive to believe the population will change to a simpler way of life overnight. He looks to the future generations to implement change and increase sustainability. We are seeing the effects of decades of abusing this planet as climates begin to change and storms become fiercer.

It is suggested by Durning that we return to a time when open markets line the street. Where we are able to return to city living as streets are now safe to walk or ride bicycles. A place where public transportation is readily available and faster than it currently is. That we give up our rural homes for returning to city life where we are closer to work and our commute leaves a lesser impact on our environment. Rural areas now filled with residential communities can be reclaimed for farming and the production of fresh products. We see this type of community today in certain countries that we, the abundance consumers, consider to be underdeveloped communities, but perhaps they are the ones that understand the idea of simplicity the best. They are the communities that have bonded together to produce the products that sustain them. Their modes of transportation are simple but effective as the distances needed to access services are small in comparison to those countries that have succumb to modernization. In Asian countries, although modernized, we are still able to find streets with open air markets and view mass commuting by bicycle. Is this done to reduce environmental impact or is it a continuation of what has been done by those that came before them?

Earlier is this essay I wrote that change must begin with the people that have the power to change it. The power of the political parties must institute change in how our future energy needs are met. The people must change how they use that energy and reduce waste and the companies that are enjoying record high profits must invest in alternative methods of energy production. Recently a coal ash spill forced Duke Energy to spend millions of dollars in cleaning up its environmental disaster. They now seek to place that cost of clean up onto those of us that are forced to obtain our power from them. Until they are made to absorb those cost, these types of disasters will not end. I once read an article in which major companies weighed the cost of cleaning up or implementing a change against the cost of possible damaging awarded in a lawsuit with the latter winning out. These companies would rather pay out legal damages than fix the problem which adversely affects our environment or the health of its people.

I do not believe that Durning’s “How Much Is Enough” tells us to return to the days of the horse and buggy. He even briefly refers to those communities of people that live within the modernized world that still embrace that mode of transportation, live without electricity and farm without the use of modern machinery. It does, however, point out to us that we are on the verge of polluting this world by overabundance to a point that the earth will not be able to heal itself. Our protective ozone layer is already damaged by the gas emissions produced in this world. Areas for land fills are filled faster than we can develop new ones as no one wants a land fill in their backyard but do little to reduce the need for them.

I began this essay by stating we are a society that wants it all now and as fast as we can get it. That means packaged food with out regard to how its packages or what happens with that packaging once we are done with it. We judge each other by the car we drive, the size of our homes, the jobs we hold and the clothes we wear. If not the latest most stylish then we have failed in the eyes of our peers. This leads to the over shopping and purchase of things that we don’t need and the tossing of articles still useable for no other reason than it is deemed no longer acceptable. We choose to replace instead of repair as somehow it has become cheaper to do that. Products are no longer made to last a significant period of time. Quality is a concept lost on mass production evident by the number of recalls we see daily. If we were to add a concept to this writing it could be said that in our effort to improve life for the generations that come after us, we are destroying the world in which those generations will have to live in. Time has run out. We can no longer look to the next generation to change the imprint left by our short sightedness. Change must begin now. 

SIMPLICITY AND CONSUMERISM

As a history buff I have some knowledge of the lives of the early settlers. We have been taught that the original settlers came to the New World to escape persecution and have the freedom to practice their religion and a new way of life. These two chapters on the Puritans and Quakers added to this knowledge in new ways of their concept of life and the rules they put into place to affect that way of life. We have learned that it takes leaders to show the way and without those willing to take that role, how the goal, in this case simple living, can succumb to that which was so strongly cherished.

            The Puritans came with a simple work ethic which blended hard work with temperate living, civic duty and spiritual devotion. (Shi 8) They also came with the understanding that it would become a challenge to resist the prosperity that this new land offered. A land referred to as the place of milk and honey. Filled with opportunity and wealth. With the admission of Capt. John Smith that those that came considered colonization for the primary purpose of material gain. They were of the thought that everything they did should be in moderation with the primary goal of service to God. But could this concept of purism hold up against the prospect of wealth and an easier life?

            Moderation was the key to the accumulation of “things” that could be attributed to wealth. The problem as noted by Calvin was that the definition of moderation varied with individual interpretation. This is true with most everything and at times individuals would justify that their accumulation was in service to God. I find that I can understand and relate to the desire to better oneself by utilizing what is available to achieve the goal in mind. The issue here was the underlying conception that in moving toward wealth, one move away from God and spiritual being. Once even referred to as the Anti-Christ. As those settlers that distanced themselves from this concept and chose prosperity found a better life but one no longer centered on service to god. This is unfortunate for it was the beginning of the end to the reason that they had come to the New World.

            Much the same course did the arrival of the Quakers follow in having one ideology which in time followed the path of the Puritans. Once a taste of a more fruitful life was presented the lifestyle once embraced began to dwindle. A warning was issued to the Quakers “riches do increase, take heed of setting your Hearts upon them, lest they become a Curse and a Plague to you” (Shi 29) This quote held truth then and can be applied today. We are a nation that has one of the highest debt ratios in the world. In our desire to accumulate possessions that we think we can’t live without we buy on credit. Credit drives this nation. We are a society that values what we have and the mentality of “keeping up with the Joneses”. It was no different back then as it is now. We are defined by what our occupation is, the car we drive and the vacations we take. In the 16, 17, and 1800’s it was clothing and furnishings that defined.

            In both the Puritan and Quaker societies there were periods where they were both able to revitalize the concepts that were originally brought to the New World. Unfortunately, they were short lived as the population had become accustomed to the finer things that life had to offer. This is something else that I can relate too. We would all like to live a simpler life but are trapped by a lifetime of what we have accumulated and what we feel is the need to maintain that lifestyle. The theory that I work so I should indulge myself in some of the more affluent items only leads to us having to work more in order to pay for them. We lose sight of the fact that if we buy less, then perhaps we can work less and enjoy what we had. I am guilty of this and a victim to what was presented in chapter nine of The Simple Life.

This was a chapter that held meaning not so much for me but for my family that lived these times. It is hard to think of war as a redeemer but in the case of WWI and II it did just that. America had become a land of prosperity where those that could did without little. War brought that to a halt were our resources went to the war effort and those at home found that they would have to do with much less and at times none at all. But in this time Americans came together to support their country and those fighting for it. It wasn’t easy losing what one had become accustomed to, but the need to defeat tyranny was a necessary goal and worth the sacrifices that would need to be made. “…the war is a blessing in disguise if it will check the extravagance against which they have impotently protested”, claimed one Progressive. (Shi 215) With the war ended the hope that people would retain the style of a simpler life went away very quickly. Having lived those years without amplified the desire to have once again all that had been rationed and removed. Spending was at an all time high with little concern for savings. Soldiers that returned from the war were offered land for farming but few accepted. With the advancements being made in manufacturing products were being made faster and cheaper than ever before. To increase the spending capability of the public buying on credit was introduced. No longer did one have to save to make a purchase. A life of debt had begun.

            I can understand wanting to return to the things that one has been forced to do without. While in Marine bootcamp we lived as one might expect a very structured life. We were told when, how, and what to do. Our meals and drinks were structured as well as the amount of time we had to eat it. Upon leaving the Paris Island, one of my first stops was Burger King. My first soda in 13 weeks as well as greasy fries. Something simple I know, but also something you don’t realize you miss until it is taken from you.

            Once again life was on the rise after the Great War until the depression hit and those used to a meal now found themselves in soup lines with everything from meat if there was any to be found to bread being rationed.  I recall my father speaking of those days although just a boy himself at the time. They were difficult times but being of Italian heritage they were also home gardeners and were able to supplement by growing their own vegetables. Still Americans came together and with the end of the depression life as it once was, was slow to recover.

            It has been said that war is good for the economy and sadly it proves to be true with each conflict we find ourselves involved in WWII became the catalyst to our next economic boost, but also brought with it another period of force simplicity. Again, Americans rose to this and as the men went overseas those women who stayed behind went to work in the factories in support of them. As expected, sacrifices were made to provide the materials necessary to make the weapons required to fight this battle on two fronts. At this time, simplicity was at its highest and there were those that hoped it would continue after the war, but as history had shown this again was not to be. With its end and the advancements made in manufacturing simplicity was quickly replaced by extravagance. Spending again was at an all time high with the desire to replace what was lost and what had been done without.

            This continues to be the way of our land today with the exception that little concern is being expressed to the damage that we have done and are continuing to do to our environment. We have become a self-centered society split by class, race and a declining moral compass. The work ethic once so strong in the days of the Puritans and Quakers, strong in the days of WWI and II and many decades later has been lost within todays youth. Perhaps it is the fault of those that have raised them with the desire to give more than we ever had. I recall my childhood and the things I could not have. I see it in my children as they raise their own. Giving almost all, they desire without any responsibility to earning it. The simple life is lost on them already as the electronic world consumes their daily lives. I must chuckle at this as I sit here writing this essay on my laptop as my smart phone and iPad sit on the table next to me. But for the last 3 days and one more tomorrow I will live the simple life as we enjoy the simple pleasures that our place in the mountains of North Carolina offer us. The slower pace and the enjoyment of an old-fashioned ice cream social held with our neighbors last night.

Works Cited

Shi, David E. The Simple Life. Athens: The University of Georgia Press, 2007. Print.