The cycle of consumption and production
With the “Buy Canadian” movement in full swing, I’ve been thinking a lot about shopping lately.
After I left my full-time job, I went from being a shopaholic to someone with a strong aversion to shopping. Of course, I still buy food. I still buy toiletries and other supplies I need for the home. I still buy the occasional treat for myself.
But all that time I used to spend in a mall, seeking out shiny new things? All that extraneous shopping I used to do out of boredom or unhappiness or — let’s be honest here — entitlement? I’ve nipped all that in the bud. These days, aside from a puzzle or two, I’d have to think long and hard to name a single thing I want to purchase.
When I first left work, I was hyper-aware of my spending because I didn’t have the same level of income. I was terrified that I would run out of money. I wanted to be fiscally responsible so I wouldn’t be financially forced to go back to work.
Things are different now. It’s been almost seven years since I had a full-time income. I’ve loosened my grip on fear. I’m still careful with my spending — but now it’s because I’m satisfied with what I have. I have no desire to buy things that will simply sit around or go to waste.
I feel a lot of regret about how much waste I’ve created in the past. I bought too much makeup, too much clothing, too much everything — only to end up with piles of donations, recycling, and trash. It was a waste of money, yes. But it was also a waste of time and effort. And even worse was the impact to the environment — the resources wasted in making, wrapping, and transporting the things I bought. Maybe some of the things I donated went to people who needed them. More likely, they ended up in already-cluttered closets or landfill.
This isn’t about absolutes — I don’t claim to be a minimalist and I still have a lot of things. For me, it’s about being more discerning about what I bring into my home, even as I’m trying to support Canadian businesses. I no longer have an aversion to shopping. My aversion is to waste.
Shopping isn’t the only thing I’m thinking about though. On the other side of consumption is production. We live in a capitalist society and with that comes built-in incentives for both consuming and producing. Nations are measured in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) — the monetary value of goods and services produced by a country. In other words, we measure a country’s “health” by its productivity. We’re programmed to keep producing and consuming on repeat to keep the economic engine chugging along. This is why we feel guilty when we rest.
If everyone consumed like current-me, there’s a good chance our economy would grind to a halt. But if everyone consumed like past-me, there’s a good chance we’d deplete earth’s resources. As an individual with agency over my own behaviour, I can decide how much I want to contribute to the cycle.
Even though I’ve pulled back on my own personal consumption and production, I’m still a hamster in the wheel. Since leaving full-time work, the majority of my income is earned passively via the stock market. This means I benefit when the economy is strong, when there are lots of goods and services being produced, when the majority of people are consuming.
I feel strange about taking from the economic engine without contributing as much as I used to. But maybe my contributions don’t have to be economic. Maybe I'm contributing to the conversation by sharing my perspective. Maybe I'm contributing to the environment by being more mindful in my consumption. Maybe I'm contributing to the resistance by rejecting hustle culture. These contributions don’t factor into the calculation of GDP, but they have intrinsic value and bring me a sense of satisfaction.
We all know there’s more to the health of a nation than the economic value of its goods and services. And there’s more to the life of a human than being in an endless cycle of consumption and production. It’s up to us as individuals to find our own unique balance when it comes to our personal contributions.
This month’s reflective questions
In what ways have you rejected the endless cycle of consumption and production? What are some of your contributions that aren’t typically recognized in economic terms? [Hint: Unpaid work is not factored into the calculation of GDP — this includes housework, childcare, volunteer work, and much more. We can also consider activities that aren’t often viewed as “productive” like leisure and rest.]
In line with the idea that we are more than what we do in terms of paid work, I'll also offer this alternative question, adapted from the résumé exercise in the work chapter of ABR: What are some aspects of your life that haven't been included in any of your résumés? These can be moments, achievements, or accomplishments you consider to be significant.
Redefining my contributions,
