you must become immune to rampant materialism

Black Friday is upon us. And while things are drastically different this year, its threat still looms over us. 

Not having desperate and misguided people pushing and shoving each other and not acting with each other in an inhuman way for the most part is definitely a silver lining in the current pandemic scenario. Also, it’s great that the drive to save money and make the best use of their resources is at an all time high among a majority of the population. However that doesn’t mean that the flames of materialism, greed and selfishness have been extinguished for good. 

Yes, there’s a good chance that there’ll be very few (if not none!) long lines outside retail stores and hopefully no hand-to-hand combats over flat-screen televisions, gaming consoles or kitchen appliances this time. But where do you think shopping enthusiasts would direct their time, energy and attention towards instead? You’re right, to the Black Friday deals online!

While we’re doing all we can to escape the Coronavirus pandemic, we must also pay attention to the contemporary pandemic of rampant materialism, and do all that we can to not get infected by selfishness, greed and the compulsive drive to possess things. It’s fascinating how the same people who were running around earlier this year in order to get their basic needs met would somehow find both time and money today in spite of their challenging circumstances to have their insatiable wants fulfilled.

Now is a good time to remind ourselves that Black Friday helps no one except the bottom line of the business giants. So, it’s wise to stay away from this hollow and heinous shopping tradition and instead focus on things and initiatives that are beneficial both for us and other people.

Reflect on how you can get rid of your greed and selfish pursuits and instead help and serve your fellow humans. Maybe you had a satisfying and wholesome meal last night, how about donating some money online so that you help the less fortunate have a few much-needed meals as well? Or how about contributing some amount towards a COVID-19 research fund or helping that non-profit organization that’s delivering PPE kits to the people who urgently need them? Instead of killing time on retailers’ sites, why not spend some time browsing around trying to figure out how you can help and maybe even take some tiny but impactful actions that’ll help others in need? Even a little generous act can go a long way, never forget that. 

Marcus Aurelius wrote, what’s bad for the hive is also bad for the bee. Not unlike the current pandemic, compulsive materialism is a debilitating curse too — for yourself as an individual and for our species as a whole. And it makes sense to avoid it as much as possible. In that way you’ll not only be saving yourself and your loved ones, but you’ll also be putting your precious resources to good use and positioning yourself to serve other humans that are a part of our bigger family.