26 Mar, 2009
Buy nothing. Have everything.
Within the Product of No Product - by: John Hockenberry
What if, suddenly, the strongest product brand was No Product and the strongest consumer impulse was not buying? Last year there was ample evidence that the muscle consumers were flexing most was that of restraint. The inclination not to spend almost did in the entire U.S. auto industry. It still might. At the end of 2008, Chrysler sales dropped 53 percent. Toyota reported an operating loss for the first time in more than 70 years. Retail sales for the end of 2008 actually shrank. Fewer people bought fewer things. Instead of growth numbers and fashion trends, market analysts reported that nonbuyers were driving the market. Not making a purchase was the most powerful impulse in the global economy. No Product was the strongest brand.
These abrupt and mass-scaled changes in behavior suggest that, at least in theory, many basic assumptions about retail capitalism are being reexamined and reevaluated by consumers all over the world.
story courtesy of: metropolismag.com
Sometimes Jesus just lays it out there and we have to deal with it. Sometimes he makes us feel pretty uncomfortable. Sometimes we probably don't want to hear what he has to say. I have to admit this is one of those chapters in the Bible that I'd rather overlook. I love ice cream, buying new music, and I love to drink coffee. All of these luxuries are like treasures to me, things that I take comfort in, things that take up significant amounts of my time and resources, things that make me feel good to be alive. However Jesus reminds us in Matthew 6 that what matters most is not our material gain or personal comfort but the Kingdom of God. Unfortunatley it is often the case that our love and connection to the things of this world disconnects us from our God and the Kingdom. Simply put, we can't serve God and wealth.
The current economic situation in the U.S. is forcing people to consume less and live more simply, Jesus asks us to do it willingly.
Now if you're feeling like Jesus is asking something from you that is difficult, something that might require a painful sacrifice, I'm right there with you, and maybe that is exactly the point Jesus wants us to get. We're all people who love comfort, love material things, and are driven more towards security than sacrifice. Maybe the Church is a community where people who make idols out of green and gold can come together to encourage, challenge, and support one another on a journey defined more by giving than receiving. Maybe the Church is a place where we remind each other that we are a people with a God who gave what was most precious to him so that we could know him. The Church is indeed a peculiar people, and nothing makes us more peculiar than our commitment to love God and neighbor more than ourselves, and nothing displays that commitment more radically than living simply, sharing our possessions, and allowing our lives to be examples of the joy and beauty that comes with a lifestyle defined more by heavenly virtue than earthly riches.
-Don't buy anything except what you need to survive for 3 weeks; (i.e. no ice cream, new clothes, electronics, and other luxuries). Keep a journal of your thoughts as you avoid unnecessary consumption and give the money you would have spent at the mall or ice cream shop to a homeless shelter or food bank.
-Sit down with your Campus Life director or youth pastor and talk with them about Matthew 6.
-Start a conversation with your friends about consumerism and the current decline in consumer spending in the U.S.
-Talk with your friends about your 3 week fast from unnecessary consumption.
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