I
don’t know where to begin. I’ve recently realized how much ethical dissonance
there is living in a 1st world country. For a long time I have
accepted things for the way they are because things have just always been. I
have let myself be blindly shaped by society and I know I’m not alone. I know
that most people in my generation accept everything presented to them without
questioning. For this, I am greatly embarrassed by myself and my peers. But I
am beginning to understand how repulsive many first world countries can be.
In the consumer society I have been
brought up in, it is not enough to be thankful for our health and our
relationships. Instead we look for insignificant, yet tangible items to fill
voids in our lives and occupy our time. It is because of this desire to need
more that our health and relationships are diminishing. These days many people
succumb to buying processed and premade foods because these options are often
cheaper and far more convenient. Many also experience relationships with the
people around them that barely skim the surface of what a true connection with
another human should be. This is largely brought about through the use of
social media. On both accounts, I have found myself guilty. I tell myself I do
not have enough disposable income to warrant buying fresh produce every week. I
have deceived myself into thinking I have a plethora of friends when the
reality is that I connect with very few.
Our first world society is stripping us
from the very thing we should be-- human. It tricks us into thinking we are
progressing when many of us have a simple life. We are quickly losing our
individualities and are content with mirroring one another. Our goals are
shallow and our morals are weak. We have lost the sense of togetherness, but
always search for belonging. We are on a quick decline to science fiction
novels where we are all willingly controlled by our society as in Orwell's 1984. We are a lazy culture
that will do nothing for itself as long as a certain level of comfort is
achieved. We look for handouts and give nothing back to our world. We are
blinded by media and suffocated by an ever present “ideal” of how one should
be.
When I first wanted to start this blog,
I imagined an entirely different creature than what you have seen here. I was
still just a sheep wanting to fit in the sea of blogs. I am obsessed with food
and DIY, but came to realize this is not what the internet needs more of right
now. As a 19 year old suburban product, I feel there are very few alive and
relatable role models to teach people my age how to think for yourself and
incite change. Those people who have a message to share are often washed over
by shallow celebrities who are glorified for no profound reason.
I do not claim myself to be an
authority or better than anyone who may be reading this. I am very much flawed
as the rest of you and constantly make mistakes. The difference, I feel,
between myself and many of those my age is that I accept and embrace that I
have an unwavering desire to learn. I refuse to accept things for how they are
and I constantly ask questions. I refuse to be embarrassed for who I am and
refuse to continue to fall into the traps of a consumer society. My focus now
is how to change the world around me. My continual quest for the truth has
started.
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