As many in our nation prepare to celebrate the birth of God's Son on earth, the god of consumerism is on the rampage at this time of year more than ever. Do we ever stop to think about the impact of each individual thing we buy and the trail of destruction that it causes worldwide? This god of consumerism began to achieve widespread acceptance in the 1950's with the introduction of two key principals which now enslave us: planned obsolescence and perceived obsolescence. The first is the deliberate attempt to manufacture a good with flaws with the sole intention of guaranteeing repeat sales, yet leaving the consumer with enough confidence to trust the product in the future. The second is intended for us to throw away things that are merely out of style.
Do these things frustrate us and spur us into action or are we, too, beguiled into believing such a conspiracy exists?
In a country whose governing body is allegedly in power only through the will of the people, how are we allowing this social and economical injustice to take place? We consume at an alarming rate; the United States occupies only a mere 5% of the world's land mass, yet we consume 30% of the world's resources. There is no way that this impact can be isolated to the United States.
So where else in the world are they feeling the impact of our global abuse? The following video is a 20 minute documentary exposing the hidden side of our global economy and highlights the vast environmental and societal implications of such globalization.
It is of paramount importance as Christians to look beyond the scope of the church and realize the hurting that is occurring underneath the surface of society by informing ourselves of the problem and providing a solution. Our pocket books are powerful; we can discriminate when and where we purchase. We claim we are a nation under God, and 76% of this godly nation claim evangelical Christian principals. With the potential for 228 million God-fearing Christ-followers, imagine how we could change the world. The power of prayerful action on behalf of righteous people could see no limit to positive change to reverse the depravity of our world.
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."-Edmund Burke
