Day 10: Consumerism and the Pursuit of Happiness

I remember back in high school, I was about 13-14 years old -- my mom and I were planning to go and buy shoes.
We didn't go buy shoes very often so I considered this to be a very special occasion. We would go maybe once, twice a year so I had to be very specific about the shoes I wanted as I would have to wear them for a while before being able to get different ones.

At that time, a specific style of shoes was "the new thing" and I really wanted to have a particular type of shoe in that style.

A week before we would go and buy the shoes I was already being very excited, and thinking how cool it was going to be to have these shoes and how much more awesome my life was going to be.

We went to go and get the shoes, I was very excited, wore them with proud for a few days and the it dawned on to me:

My life hadn't changed

I had gotten the shoes, I was wearing them -- but my life experience hadn't changed!

I didn't understand -- I planned it in my mind, and I did all the things I was supposed to do like getting the shoes and then I was supposed to be a happier person -- but I wasn't.

The same shit was still going on
My life still sucked.

I was so disappointed. I felt scammed. All this time I had built up all this excitement towards getting this shoes and now that I had them, it didn't mean anything.


I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to believe that buying new things will make me happy

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to believe that if I want something really bad, and then get it -- that this will make me live a happier and more satisfying life

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to have created a connection within my mind where buying is synonymous with happiness

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to have believed the fairytale in my mind that told me my life was going to be so much better if only I get these shoes

I forgive myself that I haven't accepted and allowed myself to question this fairytale and see that there is no common sense link between getting new shoes (when I already have comfy shoes) -- and increased happiness

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to believe that buying things equals buying happiness

I forgive myself that I haven't accepted and allowed myself to have taken the realisation that the new did not make a difference all the way through -- but instead "forgot" about the disappointing experience and went to look for the next thing I can chase and get in the hope that maybe this next item will give me the happiness I seek

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to have been brainwashed by advertisement, media and fashion into believing that buying stuff will make me a happier person

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to have defined happiness within buying and acquiring additional material goods

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to have defined happiness only according to my own reality bubble -- not considering everyone else in the world

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to only consider happiness within the context of ME, ME, ME

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to have been so indulged within chasing the next thing that could make me happy that I did not stop and look around at the overall happiness of everyone else -- because then I would have seen that the happiness I seek is not real and that many are suffering needlessly but get no attention as everyone is so busy chasing their own private, personal happiness

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to have mistaken happiness as an energetic feeling experience for having a good quality life

I forgive myself that I haven't accepted and allowed myself to consider that this cannot be so as one must only look at a drug addict whose physical body is deteriorating as a consequence of "happiness-abuse" -- clearly indicating that happiness has got nothing to do with how well you live your life and how well you're taken care off

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to believe that I deserve happiness

I forgive myself that I haven't accepted and allowed myself to see that this happiness is undeserved and needless when many starve and suffer in a world of plenty

I forgive myself that I haven't accepted and allowed myself to see and realise that by saying "I deserve happiness" I am saying, "So what other people aren't happy and suffering, I still deserve happiness so I have a right to not do anything about the condition of the rest of the world because I have the right to spend my time chasing happiness just like everybody else"

I forgive myself that I haven't accepted and allowed myself to see and realise that true happiness does not in fact exist

I forgive myself that I haven't accepted and allowed myself to see and realise that happiness cannot exist when there is even one being suffering while everyone is able to make this suffering STOP

I forgive myself that I haven't accepted and allowed myself to see and realise that my happiness is worthless as long as I am not willing to trade lives with any randomly determined person in the world

I forgive myself that I haven't accepted and allowed myself to see and realise that MY happiness has no value at all as long as EVERYONE's basic needs haven't been met

I forgive myself that I haven't accepted and allowed myself to see and realise that chasing personal happiness is in fact a form of greed and by saying that everyone has a right to their pursuit of happiness I am in fact stating that everyone has the right to be greedy misers who don't want to share the fruits of life with others


I commit myself to remind myself when faced with the trap of consumerism that I know where this path will lead me as I have already been there and that I should just stop right there and not participate

I commit myself to remind myself that happiness is not defined by buying things and the accumulation of material goods

I commit myself to remind myself that happiness does not consist out of trying to match reality with a picture in my head -- as the picture will always be better, brighter, and more colorful than is practically achievable in this physical reality

I commit myself to a world where personal happiness comes after the happiness of the whole

I commit myself to expose the brainwashing that goes on within advertisement and the media -- with the promise that buying will make you happy while all it does is make those happy who get your money from you falling for the trap

I commit myself to show that happiness as it is currently known within this world is only an illusion

I commit myself to establish a world system where people are in fact supported from life to death and not placed in a position where they chase a carrot stick in order to "sustain" an unsustainable system of greed

I commit myself to expose that the consumerism trap is a scam and that it is one of the reasons why our world is fucked and is staying fucked

I commit myself to show that their is more to life than consumerism

I commit myself to transform the current world of producers and consumers to a world where all are beings sharing the same home and set on distributing resources in a way that is Best for All Life

I commit myself to show how the desire for happiness will keep one trapped in a limited version of reality and will in fact blind you from what is really going on in life

I commit myself to show that no happiness is of any value as long as a single being is suffering within this world

I commit myself to show that no pursuit for happiness is justified as long as a single being suffers in our world

I commit myself to the establishment of an Equal Money System where one will for the first time be able to explore and experience REAL HAPPINESS