Les Henson
We live in a society addicted to things. Consumerism is one of the significant idols of our day, and it is so easy to fall in line with those around us. Yet we must resist its all-encompassing influence and put in place strategies to live a more simple life. The fact is that we don’t need the latest phone or the newest gadget. Bigger houses will not make us any happier, but they will undoubtedly increase the burden on our planet. The reality is that eight per cent of the world’s population use over eighty per cent of the earth’s resources. Thus consumerism is both a burden on our planet and the cause of much injustice in the world. Likewise, consumerism requires that people in the majority world work in sweatshops so that we can buy cheaper products and get a better deal. But what kind of a deal do the workers in such places get? They get ripped off so that we in the West can maintain our resource-enhanced lifestyle. They receive injustice so that we can go on consuming. What kind of a deal or justice is that?