This isn't a blog - its an on-line support group for people who have broke free from the clutches of the Cult of Consumerism, and those who have been affected by this cult bent on ecocide for fun and profit.
You will not be shamed, belittled, or put down here for longing for, and living, a post-consumer existence. What you will find is support for your quest to live a simpler life with less stuff, and more living.
"Welcome. Please come in, sit down, state your name, and if you are comfortable, share your post-consumer story/ideas with us. You are in a safe space here."
On this blog can be found a group of post-consumers learning to de-materialize. Call it de-programming, or in this case deconsumerizing. We are supporting each other through the process of unlearning being a passive vessel for corporations to fill with superfluous goods, services and entertainments.
Generally, NBA readers/support group members are activating their own agenda rather than the oppressive and limiting "work-buy-repeat-die" script laid out for us at birth. We are reclaiming our freedom to choose simple lives that are easier on us and the Earth.
Together we are helping create Charles Eisenstein’s “world where our human gifts go toward the benefit of all, and where our daily activities contribute to the healing of the biosphere and the well-being of other people.”
How did we get to our current state of consumer madness? How did the cult attract so many devotees to its dark halls? A piece I found in the Adbuster web site chronicles our brief trajectory that has brought us to the brink of global collapse:
“We were high on the thrill of early capitalism. We loved the cars, the airplanes, the endless aisles of mega marts teeming with mass-produced goodies. We loved the validation that each new purchase brought.
And then came the technology: the flat screens, MacBooks, iPhones and XBoxes. Every technological breakthrough made us feel more connected, more human, and more whole.
But then the economy collapsed and we began to tumble… suddenly we weren’t so sure anymore. The line between necessity and luxury - once blurred beyond distinction - came into sudden, violent focus.
What pleasure is there in a 50-inch plasma TV if you don’t have a wall to hang it on? What joy does a brand new automobile bring if climate change looms large on the horizon?
The wisdom of credit, and the attendant practice of living well beyond our means, suddenly hit home.
And now, as belts tighten and paradigms crumble, we are beginning to hear the first whispers of a post-consumer era… the dawning of a post-materialist age.”
We are certainly hearing the whispers (and yells, shouts, pleads, and rants) of a post-consumer era on this blog over the past (almost) 10 years. I like to think of NBA as a partial record of the dawning of the post-consumer age that we all know must come soon. Or sooner.
Together we are forging ahead, supporting each other, and creating "the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible".
Join our support group for ex-members of the Cult of Consumerism, or those affected by consumerism. Come on it, there is room for everyone.
Welcome to NBA, and the post-consumer age.
I landed in the Not Buying Anything community around 2013 if my memory serves me correctly. From the very beginning, I knew this was a special place. It's a place of kinship, truth, and allyship. NBA is a gathering place to rally, circle, to support, share, learn, and grow. I've always been stuck by the integrity I see here. And no one has ever tried to sell me anything here!!
ReplyDeleteRemember when we were kids and we built forts and tree houses? We closed ourselves off from the world. Our forts were secret hiding places where we could just be ourselves. We set up life like we wanted it to be. NBA is like a fort to me. It's a place where I can get away from the sea of consumerism and set up life like I want to live with others who are doing similar.
Thank you Gregg and Linda for freely sharing your wealth of experience, knowledge, insight and wisdom through exquisite writing. It has nurtured and grown me into a better human being. You've created something extraordinary.
I built what I called a "nest" in a corner of the family garage - it was a large wicker basket that was filled with old clothes, and I moved boxes around it as an enclosure, and I read many many many library books there. It was a quiet refuge from my 5 older sisters!
DeleteAnd NBA is a quiet refuge where I can get away from so many frustrating and scary parts of the world right now.
Thank you Gregg and Linda; and Terri and Karen and Alex and Marla and....all those who comment. Your supportive words are appreciated.
-Mary
Ah, Mary, you too know all about forts/nests! Love! Love! Love your story about your nest! I forgot about all the forts/tents we made in the garage. Your story reminded me!
DeleteEveryone needs a sanctuary. The NBA blog community is a sanctuary for Linda and I. A place we can read comments and actually enjoy them and learn from them. I don't get that from comments in other places, like our national newspaper. Those comments make me wonder what is wrong with people.
DeleteNot here. We are enriched by the awesome participation in NBA comment threads. Often comments are better than our posts. Thank you everyone for sharing of your time, thoughts and ideas.
As defined for kids:
ReplyDeleteFort- a strong or fortified place
Terri,
DeleteCan a hut also be a fort? There used to be some awesome huts in the river valley of the city where I grew up. They were built by characters us kids called "hermits". They were lone men that preferred to be left alone, and they crafted some incredible shelters built entirely from natural materials and found objects.
Some were quite fortified.
Yes, I'm pretty sure a hut could be a fort too. There was a hermit that lived on the coast of North Carolina. I enjoyed reading about him. His shelter was very much as you describe.
DeleteThis is one support group I"m very happy to be a part of. I love coming to this tiny place of sanity where everything I read resonates. It's a pleasant, grounding change from living in a smartphone obsessed society where people no longer look you in the eye. I wish we could all get together and enjoy a pot luck picnic with some good home brew. Can you imagine the awesome conversation? Thank you Gregg and Linda for all that you do.
ReplyDeleteA pot luck picnic with home brew with the NBA tribe would be a peak experience of my life! Just imagining such an extravaganza makes me smile ear to ear, Karen! I love it here!
DeleteKaren and Terri,
DeleteWow. What if we could all get together. What a moment that would be. I am perfecting my Indian chai, and could make a giant pot of that for all our friends from around the world.
I am glad we can meet here. This will have to do until the transporters come on line.
I just made some oatmeal pumpkin muffins with luxurious Canadian maple syrup. I could bring some of those along. Having one now with some chai tea, but I bet it is not as good as the brew you are perfecting! So you are on tea!
DeleteI can't thank Gregg and Linda enough for this blog. I so often visit, and it always reminds me of what is right and what is important.
ReplyDeleteYou have to have a fair bit of internal fortitude to live in a different way to those around you, but this blog lets me know that at least somewhere out there, across many bits of the world, there are many people that think the same. And a happy Not Buying Anything day to you all!
Clara
Clara,
DeleteYou are so right about staying strong and living differently. There is much pressure to join the mainstream, a "conform or be cast out" situation. It is very comforting to know that there are others like us out there, in all nations, and in all corners of this beautiful Earth.
And our numbers are growing. We are glad you are among that number.