Consumerism, Postive Term that turned Negative

The Consumerism, is merely not a term today, its an era. Gradually this term having Benedict meaning, transformed to a negative expression. The transformation is as interesting as its transliteration and use in vocab. So let me first name its former meaning.

 Before 21st Century (year 2000) the term was used for informed buyers or consumers who made their purchasing decisions wisely after considering all the parameters/requirements. For sellers it meant, making their customers informed about the quality, quantity, packaging, pricing, etc, hence empowering efficient decision making.

So originally it is a virtuous term, symbolizing the buyers/consumers, and at the same time enforcing sellers/companies to play fair to have a long term advantage. And now the transformed meaning of the term, which states:

Consumerism is a social and economic order that encourages the purchase of goods and services in ever-greater amounts. Consumerism is the selfish and frivolous collecting of products, or economic materialism. Consumerism is a force from the marketplace which destroys individuality and harms society.

With its new definition it essentially refers to thoughtless and impractical buying or spending habit. In India, since year 2000, there has been a tremendous rise in the standards of The Great Indian Middle Class. There is a rise in the spending power of the people. And above all, there had been a competitive society to prove their supremacy by showcasing a new product each day. The competition had led to ever increased consumerism without pondering over a second before making the buying decision.

On the other hand the companies/sellers have exploited the situation by excessive marketing of thoughtless and useless products. They exploited the foolishness of the naive people. The situation kept engraving and as the saying goes you practice what you preach, the new generation is the byproduct of the ill effects of consumerism.

For the coming generation, a day spent without money is like a punishment of highest order. The children in metropolitan cities spend away a hefty amount of their pocket money on expensive restaurants, coffee bars, on tips, on new gadgets and so on. They can live without food, but not without their gadgets, casual lifestyle. They like to travel, stay in expensive hotels, motels, but are hesitant to spend a night over a relative's place.  Similarly when a relative visits them, they find their home small to accommodate the guest. 

They do not like anyone not even their parents indulging in their life. Parents feel its their moral duty to support their child financially, to help him survive in this era of consumerism. They do not want to let go their position in the race to consumerism because of their children. The consumerism has stolen away all the thoughtfulness of people, not just as a consumer, but as a person.

Indeed Consumerism is not just a term today. Its an Era. If you are young in your 20s or 30s then welcome to the era of Consumerism!!  

Truly Inspiring :) (Must Read)

This is a truly inspiring Article, I came across. I Hope to preserve it to help me be remember the learning from this amazing one:

An 87 Year Old College Student Named Rose
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t already know.
I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned round to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me
with a smile that lit up her entire being.
She said, “Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I’m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?”
I laughed and enthusiastically responded, “Of course you may!” and she gave me a giant squeeze.
“Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?” I asked.
She jokingly replied, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids…”
“No seriously,” I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
“I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!” she told me.
After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake. We became instant friends. Every day for the
next three months, we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this “time machine”
as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.
Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.
At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I’ll never forget what she taught us. She was
introduced and stepped up to the podium.
As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, “I’m sorry I’m so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I’ll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell
you what I know.”
As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, “We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop
playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day.
You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die.
We have so many people walking around who are dead and don’t even know it!There is a huge difference between growing
older and growing up.
If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old.
If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight.
Anybody can grow older. That doesn’t take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change.
Have no regrets.
The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those
with regrets.”
She concluded her speech by courageously singing “The Rose.”
She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.
At the year’s end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died
peacefully in her sleep.
Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it’s
never too late to be all you can possibly be .When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, they’ll really enjoy it!
These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.
REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS
OPTIONAL.
We make a Living by what we get, We make a Life by what we give.

Lately My Life..!

My life has changed. From PC to Mobile, from Bike to Car, from Consumer to Seller, from Student to Teacher, probably from an Experimenter to Mentor.. Although the process evolved gradually, it always seems it happened too fast to reconcile.
It has always been yesterday, since I came back from Pune, and yesterday since I started my own business and teaching. I often wonder what exactly is the objective of so quickly moving life of mine. I wonder what is that thing I have in life to cherish about, and the thing in life to regret.

Definition of Life in Present tense has always been 'Complex' and in Past tense has always been 'Simple'.
The only rule that applies is 'nothing is Constant'. And the funny thing it even applies to the desire and aims. The cognitive meaning and objective of life has 'Constantly Changed'. The obvious choice becomes childish. And childish resolutions have become night mares.

Is this the way its for everyone? Or I am being too much pensive?

Gone are the days when the size of Time was huge and size of pockets small. Today the size of Time is small and the size of pockets Huge, never filling. More is less, and less is inconsiderate. "Friends are Few" and the word "Indeed" is lost somewhere.

If this is how it is supposed to be, then I really wish for Sunshine and Rain, and pray to God, to let me grow up Once Again..!!

PUC..!! (Pollution Un-Controlled)

What funny world we live into. We only see what others wants us to see. We only hear what we are told about. We sympathise but are not ready to empathise. We stand firm pointing all our fingers on the safer side of the table, but when the table rotates we hide right beneath it.  We notice the aberration, but still we un-see it till we are shown.  And once seen, we create huge noise unless someone turns the table onto us!! And then we finally tend to forget.

But how far can all this be tolerated!! Nature needs the due justice! Enough of blame game had happened. Its time to retrospect. Lets not simply pity the showcased senarious but as well realize it being around us.  Let us not say 'chalta hai' anymore.

The cliche here is, as an individual how much can we really do to save our basic right of breathing fresh. The government and the officials are blind at the facet of precious. I wish to draw the attention to the various breach of humanity occurring in my vicinity that really disappoints.

1. Industrialization is good, and the need of hour for our country. Still can we afford it at the cost of lives of fellow citizens. Industries burn huge dump of prohibited articles and fire theur chimneys. The poor people /labors dwelling n working around such industries constantly endanger their lives. And Capitalist and Government fill their pockets from the extra money offered by the offenders as bribe.

2. Private vehicles are for comfortable transportation. But today its not amenity but a luxury. We tend to smoke up so much of essential form of energy, while travelling for work and leisure. In all the affluent families each member has owns his/her bike/car. I have heard and also believe on the idiom "Time is Money" but in the given scenario when we see the Oil price on soaring side only, Money and energy can also be saved by waiting and accommodating others(Friends, Family, Colleagues, Neighbors) to travel together, and save on the fuel and unnecessary pollution. On weekends and holidays most of us tend to go for aimless rides and drives. One should really ponder before embarking on such foolish activity. I am sure there are other means and better means of entertainment.

3. Burning for rituals/ for waste overs/ or rubbers, is another grave area where we have to blame ourselves for thoughtful negligence. Burning of woods, cowdungs, coals, for havans, holi, etc. is a common practice in our country. For collective festivals like Holi, we want to burn our own personal edifice of Lord. Which ultimately boils down to 5 - 10 such burning processions taking place in a vicinity of 5 Kms. I do not get the point of burning so many piles of wood at such near to each other place. When the festivals are occasions to come together we are not just destroying the objective but also creating unnecessary wastage and pollution.  How can we be so insane.
As far as the burning of wastes is concerned, we do not waste for Municipal Corporation to handle the waste we want to manage that ourselves. How foolish can it be to burn the waste to make it light and travel in air. Wow! What a way to get rid of it. But, hey are we actually? Imagine a situation where every household of the city starts doing the same. It would be such a polluted environment, the smoke of burning, the ashes travelling with air all throughout. Even its imagination generates nausea.

To not to make it big, I just want to conclude saying, "Lets act Humans". Lets think about the bigger picture before acting personal. Its time we THINK. Think the longer effect of our not-thoughtful acts.