I think the case here is overstated, and the author falls prey to a common problem; the first thing most people do when they conceive of a clever idea is to over-apply that idea.

I think the criticism in this thread is valid, and the essay would have been better if it had been a bit more nuanced, but there is something there; are you critically thinking about what what you have in your life and whether or not it was a good use of your time any money? Money itself is possibility. A couch is just a couch. But despite this being true, that doesn't mean the couch wasn't worth it.

It's always interesting to get a window into this sort of thing because I've never really felt the urge to just buy stuff for the sake of buying it.

Like, I don't live like a monk. I have a nice computer, a tv, my living space is furnished. But the transactional aspect of buying things always keeps me from just "shopping as entertainment" the way some people seem to enjoy doing. I don't like acquiring things more than I dislike spending money. I have to really want something, or need something to the point that doing without it is kinda a non-starter.

It really doesn't need to be that deep. Or pretentiously moralistic.

I went to IKEA store last weekend, to return something I never needed. Felt happy when I got the money back. But then made the mistake of going into the maze again. The maze led to the checkout counter and I ended up spending all that. Got back home, looked at what I bought, and couldn't find a thing which I don't want to return again.

How do you know what your values are? I've spent a lot of time thinking about this after listening to this podcast episode: https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/238

The interviewee gives a good map for figuring out how to figure out your values.

If the author is going to over apply a new idea she's found, she should go all the way.

Consumption isn't just buying things. It's the media, food, drink, and substances you consume as well. Sitting in an empty house watching videos/playing games on your phone all day is just as vacant of a lived life than filling your time with shopping and products.

The real spiritual problem is not having hobbies or interests, or only having surface level versions of those two things.

The points in the essay are not as exaggerated or extreme as some comments suggest. I think the central message is simple: we acquire and accumulate things we don't need for psychological or spiritual reasons, and we need to regularly introspect on our attitudes toward spending.

I think overspending usually is indeed trying to reduce some other negative feeling without solving the underlying problem that caused it.

I don't think though the same mechanism is at play with the feeling of lust for some person, as seems to be implied. The lust is in our DNA for good reasons. 'Overconsumption' or over indulging into it, is what we should avoid indeed, but that doesn't make lust a vice.

I would promote the feeling of love - in the broad meaning of the word. Love is what we truly desire, that is what can provide as well to our fellow people. We can do that without overspending, simply showing care can go a long way.

Covid times provied that people can live without 50% of what they usually spend and majority of jobs will disappear if people do that. Most jobs are catering to people's overspending.

This is the single biggest rub between eastern and western philosophical traditions. Of course we could all sit quietly on a pillow in zazen pose, minds blank, freeing ourselves of want and desire, living happily and peacefully with nothing. But that sounds boring. Give me all of the things. I will only live once, and I want them. If I die still desiring them, it will have been better spent than convincing myself I didn't.

Actual title: "You're overspending because you lack values"

"Without values, desires lead you astray by following ads and algorithms and the envy of friends-a state commonly known as "being distracted"."

Great idea: Use the computer network for delivering ads. The medium used for work, research, recreation, etc. will also be the vector for delivering ads

And that's not all. Use the computer network to perform surveillance on internet subscribers. The data can be used to inform the delivery of ads

Computer networks were not always used for these purposes. It's a truly innovative idea, very creative

Depending on what you think of data collection, surveillance and ads

Well, the good news is that overspending also stimulates the economy. For every person that purchases a sandwich or cup of coffee they don't really need, that's also some other persons salary.

But as others have mentioned, reckless / impulse spending can also be a sign of conditions like depression, BPD, ADHD, and the list goes on...

The argument—independent of the author's illustration of it—is a valid one. But her writing does not appear to be an arena where it will be resolved in truth.

The problem is that she presents no direct stance as to what values a person should have in order to resist overconsumption. I suspect that's because this post itself is a sort of product to be consumed and it really doesn’t matter what the reader may buy less of under its influence...as long as it’s not y’know...a Substack subscription.

Like many people, I have a bad habit of visiting Slickdeals, and buying things I might never use, because they're a good deal.

A lot of people also have the problem of visiting /r/somehobby and then buying things because other people are buying them.

It's kind of mind-blowing to look at all the stuff you bought this year and didn't end up really using.

Obvious counter-argument: You're overspending because "stuff" is no longer super-cheap (inflation, tariffs, cost of living) and you're too busy to stick to a budget or find a good deal for "stuff".

Reading the article one thing occured to me that the wasn't mentioned - but certainly relevant to me at least - all this overspending because lack of values applies to your (and my) time.

Nit: We need to stop calling these blogs “essays”.

This is just an opinion piece with no formal research applied. I feel the “essay” label is overused, often to make the author feel like an authority figure, or make the target audience feel more educated/informed for reading it (even though it’s just another person’s opinion on the subject).

To be clear, I’m not disagreeing with the message in this blog. In fact, I think there’s a lot of truth in over-consumerism.

But there seems to be some stigma with “blog”, and just calling a writing an “essay” doesn’t automatically make it different from a blog.

Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate Bodhi Svaha

Going, going, going on beyond, always going on beyond, always becoming Buddha.

Consumerism is by and large and widely a huge part of modern life because of one thing:

Boredom.

Moralizing it in this fashion is elitist garbage. The author needs to look in the mirror first.

Free returns solve this!

> Your appetite for novelty and your fear of missing out sucks the joy out of you—the more you eat, the hungrier you are.

I definitely had some kind of shopping addiction when I got my first couple paychecks as an engineer. Suddenly I could just have things, a first for me so far in my entire life (my parents were frugal out of necessity, I'm grateful for it of course). Then I moved, and I had just a whole bunch of bullshit I had to pack and move, which was when I first started wondering about buying stuff.

I'm starting to think of consumerist culture as an ongoing psychic attack. Advertisements are trying to get me to do something that hurts me. I don't need anything any ad shows me, ever, so why the fuck are there so many ads out there trying to convince me otherwise? Why should I trade a slice of freedom (cash is runway for unemployed time) for new shoes, when I have shoes, or a new phone, when I have a phone?

And on that note, why would I ever buy anything new, even when I ostensibly need something? Such as a new laptop? Is the extra thousand or even two thousand for the latest macbook justifiable when I can get the early m1 or m2s for under a thousand bucks, and perform the job just as well? Or hell, just a nice used thinkpad? Genuinely what innovation in the phone world in the last 5 years is so incredible that I absolutely must spend 700$ or more on the latest hottest model, when I can get a still-in-LTS Pixel-something for like 250$? If anything phones have been removing features, like headphone jacks and sd card slots. What do I need 120hz refresh rate screens for? It just drains my battery. What, so the ads on my phone can look smoother?

I challenged myself this year to buy nothing new, to only either repair things that break or get a used replacement if absolutely necessary. Other than, of course, things like underwear or batteries. I even get used HDDs for my homelab. It's been a joy. I went to Japan for Japan Burn and, lacking cold weather camping clothes, just stopped by a vintage shop in Tokyo and got a banger pair of vintage jeans, a nice thick flannel, and a waxed jacket for a combined 100$ (the levy 501 selvedge alone go for 100$ new). My old kobo finally bit the dust and I got a model released this year on facebook marketplace for 20% off since the owner just didn't like that size. My earbuds broke and on a mission to replace them on that same Japan trip, I found a pair of 300$ retail IEMs for 80$ in a used electronics store, in-box, in excellent condition. It's absolutely remarkable the stuff people are selling or throwing away. I genuinely don't know why I'd need to buy anything new ever again.

The other upside for going used and vintage is they really did used to build it better before. Instead of uniqlo puff jackets that are super packable and light but explode if you scratch them wrong, I just wear a thick linen jacket that looks to be 40 years old now and will probably outlive me. My boots are some used Redwings that someone else broke in for me, and all I gotta do is get them re-soled every 5-10 years depending on how quick I wear them down. It's that Pratchett story about the poor man's boots vs the rich man's boots, except I'm still paying less than the rich man.

The last target for me is books. I absolutely cannot kill the urge to buy cool used books I find. My office is far too full of books. But oh well, I feel like at least books are somewhat harmless to keep around, compared to a bunch of junk I used to have around the apartment, dragging from move to move.

I kinda feel it's victim blaming.

You have an entire system built around laws, companies and education that consistently targets your attention (and your wallet).

But hey, if you fall in the trap it's because you lack values.