The hidden soul of consumerism

The subtlest consumerism takes hold of us when it leads us to believe, even unconsciously, that life is built by things, that in one way or another we have to deal with them, that suffering is an exceptional case, that certain television programs are actually life and it is a mistake that we participate in too little of them. I don't want to argue, for heaven's sake, that life must be or only want to be sacrifice, it renounces everything: we are too small, too little holy, too much men made of earth and mud, to believe that we can renounce everything, to exalt ourselves to the point of pride. the point of saying that we would be able to do whatever is required of us.

Consumerism is, in part, the soul, the subtle worm of so much weakness. Woodworm subtle, because it penetrates into everything we do, modifies enthusiasm, gives up great thoughts, continually justifies in small selfish choices, indifferent to the sufferings in the world, contrary to the commitment of loving one another in order to build a fairer society for all.

Perhaps only a culture of great hopes, of great faith, of great love can overcome this worm so continuous and subtle, that we hardly notice it anymore, that we almost consider it an integral and untouchable part of our nature. This subtle woodworm crumbles us from within, like the woodworm crumbles the leg of a table or a chair. And after some time we will see at the foot of the table, of the chair, an increasingly large pile of sawdust and if we want to sit on the chair and if we want to put something on the table we risk breaking everything: to renounce eternal life, to renounce all love among us, to renounce the great things that, even in suffering, can come to us from having understood the meaning of life and from having tried to follow it.

from "Progetto" (now "NP"), 1986, n. 4

Giorgio Ceragioli
NP June / July 2021