I’m a greedy person. I consume. For decades, I consumed to excess and felt the short-term excitement and long-term decay. I got fat. I spent my entire paycheque.
Humans are not good at knowing when we have enough. This is easy to see on a large scale. Look at the giant landfills dotting our landscapes. The multiple giant garbage patches in oceans are another testament. Public health in many countries is declining as our waistlines expand into highly dangerous territory.
We evolved in conditions of scarcity. For hundreds of thousands of years, before the widespread development of agriculture, people never knew where their next meal would come from – or if there would be a next meal. In those conditions, it made sense to gorge. Those who were the best gorgers survived to pass on their genetic heritage. So, over time, a hoarding mentality proliferated.
Enter the Industrial Revolution, the green revolution and globalised capitalism. Suddenly, we can get 10,000 calories at the touch of a button on our phones. Amazon Prime and overnight delivery are available so we don’t even have to go to the store to get anything. Rising standards of living around the world allowed these conditions to expand to billions who previously didn’t have access to such plenty. Credit cards and easy access to loans exacerbated the problem of consumption so much that we can now buy things we can’t even afford.
For the first time, on a massive scale, the problem stops being deprivation and starts being overabundance. This is not a situation we are well adapted to deal with. Now, we have environmental catastrophes and public health disasters such as heart disease and Type 2 diabetes rearing their heads. During Covid-19, having a co-morbidity caused by obesity makes the disease exponentially more deadly.
We simply don’t know when we have enough. Enough food, enough clothing, enough cars, boats, handbags, shoes and luxury. It doesn’t help that the resources of massive corporations are arrayed against us finding out what our point of satiety is. So, we keep consuming more and more, well past the point that’s good for us or the planet.
Our health, on an individual, community and species level, depends on us taking back that knowledge of “enough” and then overcoming capitalistic motivations in order to act on it. And it’s not an easy thing to figure out either, much less act on.
One key element that will allow us to see “enough” is by not comparing ourselves with others. There will always be someone who has more than us. Our pride can make us want what they have and more. Cutting out social media can help a bit, but we still drive down the road and see the innumerable luxury cars gliding by. We still see advertisements, movies and TV shows that all show “the good life” that is almost always centred on overconsumption and inspires us to do the same.
There are two other key ways to see “enough”. The first is to run experiments in downsizing and see if we can get used to a self-imposed deprivation. I went from a one-bedroom apartment to a studio. I initially freaked out, but in a couple of days, it became the new normal and I enjoyed the boost to my income from cutting my rent in half. This is the key: make the change and give yourself a month or two to see how it feels. If you can’t deal with it, go back to your previous level of consumption.
The other way is to use mindfulness to investigate whenever we feel a strong desire to consume more. Ask why you are feeling a strong emotion connected to buying or eating. Give yourself honest answers. By examining your feelings and motivations mindfully and honestly, we take control over them.
Getting a handle on this can help us get a grip on our health, finances and environmental impact. We may not be perfect, but by learning how much is enough for us, we can do a lot better.
Dubai schoolteacher Zach Holz (@HappiestTeach) documents his journey towards financial independence on his personal finance blog The Happiest Teacher
