Mahatma Gandhi said: “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs but not every man’s greed.” Conspicuous consumerism is rife today. Cast your mind back a little over a year, to the scenes of people queuing up for the last “latest” Apple iPhone. It was chaotic, all for a phone — not a queue for food or medical care but a line up for a mobile phone. I would hazard a guess most people in the queue already had a working mobile phone.
That must-have phone is old news now, as this week sees the launch of the latest mobile phone. We’re no longer on numbers; it’s letters now. Do please keep up!
Perhaps in 12 months time, the hamster wheel of technology will have new rich pickings for those who want to be on trend?
I’ve just read a fascinating book by Meik Wiking called The Little Book of Lykke, the Danish search for the World’s happiest people. Find a copy at Armchair Books.
Usually, Wiking says, over 50 per cent of the audiences choose to live in the first world. Yes, you read that right. Apparently this is due to us caring, quite a bit so it would seem, about our position in the social hierarchy.
I thought I had read it wrong initially as (to me at least) it seemed obvious that living in the second world would be considerably more advantageous. One hundred thousand dollars a year, thank you very much. Who cares whether someone has more? There will always be folks with more. The consumerism arms race is never ending, and seems like such a waste of time; the ultimate hamster wheel.
Social media hasn’t helped, nor has email, as we now have these offers and temptations thrown at us all day long on our out-of-date phones!
There’s a lot to be said for not having notifications on your phone when wishing to ignore the Jones. Remember “unsubscribe” and “unfollow” are your friends. Unplug. Leave the “attention economy” behind. There’s a reason companies want you to stay logged in and why they so kindly store your credit card details; it makes it easier to buy stuff with just the press of a button or an innocuous swipe!
Limiting apps on your phone, having a clear home screen and consciously reducing time on social media is becoming popular — now those are trends I will happily follow. I cleared my phone 18 months ago and I just love it, I choose when to connect.
We’re actually very productive when only checking email at set times, rather than constantly being notified, which equates to being constantly interrupted, if we’re really honest. Give “twice a day email” a go, you may discover newfound focus?
Here are three ways to ignore the proverbial Jones:
Limit time on social media and on your phone. Choose one. If you’re a fan of Facebook, fine, but do you really need Instagram and Snapchat too?
Buy quality over quantity. Not only is this environmentally sounder, it’s actually cheaper in the long run. Cost per wear, or cost per use, is a calculation worth using your phone’s calculator for.
Spend time in nature. It’s a good leveler and brings you back to reality. Your dog, or your friend’s dog, doesn’t mind what sort of phone you have, or whether you have one at all! It’s worth getting out into the forest around us and getting a reality check. Being fully focused is relaxing, why not give it a go?
Editor's note: This letter first appeared in the Whistler Question on Oct. 30
New skis or snowboards, the must-have style of jeans or shoes, the on-trend fashions, “the latest” cocktail and restaurant trends. How exhausting to even think
of keeping up, let alone achieve it.
Wiking discusses, in chapter four on “Money,” the concept of two worlds: one where you make $50,000 a year and everyone else makes $25,000. In the second world you make $100,000 per year and everyone else makes $200,000. Prices are constant and a cup of coffee, for example, will cost the same in each world. You choose which world you want to live in.
