People have always bought and sold things, and these habits are unlikely to change in the future. On the contrary, I think that some of our behavior as consumers has taken on dimensions that not only amaze us, but may even give us the shivers. Online stores and markets make it possible to access all the many products advertised and offered by global retailers at any time of the day or night and from any location possible. Fortunately, we are not only spoiled for choice, but also have the freedom to avoid this madness as much as possible.
But of course, shopping can be done in a more relaxed way and you can have some genuine fun. You just shouldn't let yourself be forced, but try to combine the pleasure with the useful. You can't really avoid it completely, because none of us really live and produce self-sufficiently. We are all dependent on others and their products and ultimately have to provide for more than just our physical well-being.
Over time, shopping has become much more relaxed for me and involves much less stress and compulsion than it used to. I probably already have enough, and my needs are also much less than they used to be. This is probably also due to the fact that as you get older, it's much easier to make do with what you have and that you suddenly don't need so much in life to feel satisfied.
As a result, I find it increasingly easy to avoid all the shopping madness that seems to afflict our society at recurring times. This is not just a local phenomenon, but a worldwide one from which even distant cultures do not seem to be immune. Here in the Far East too, people succumbed a long time ago to the many temptations that shopping centers and department stores try to lure us in with. Although there is still room for more when it comes to temptations, which can be seen in increasingly garish and loud advertising campaigns. But garish, colorful and loud are attributes that many young people in East and Southeast Asia are too happy to identify with, and this trend has long since spilled over into other regions of our planet. Fortunately, I don't need to be a part of this either, even if I can't completely escape it in everyday life.
The realization that modesty is an asset has probably been somewhat forgotten in recent times.
These days, people like to show what they have. And even if there's not much to show, they at least pretend to. Only loud-mouthers are taken seriously, and appearances clearly rule over reality. People prefer to show off and act as if they know it all. Unfortunately, these days we are far too rarely asked to show that there is more behind our big mouth than just warm, stale wind. It's all bling-bling rather than real content to build on.
But please, pose and prostitute yourselves as much and as publicly as you like. You have lost me a long time ago. I prefer to put my energy into very personal projects where I like to stay in a very small, private and intimate group. Our team may be small, but we trust each other blindly and without conditions. Nobody has to pretend to be someone else. There is not much we need except each others and that is clearly the place where we will best. And if needed, sometimes more and sometimes less often, we join the big swarm of people hustling and bustling, and for a moment take place in the big rat race. That is fine, because fortunately we know how to get out of it again and to enjoy ourselves...
