“We are living in a consumer society” Aslam Azhar said, sharing his
thoughts at the start of an interesting discussion with him few days back.
“A consumer society is one in which the most important thing
is to buy commodities and products beyond one’s needs. In layman language, we
can say that if a society consumes beyond its basic needs like running a home and
fulfilling the core material requirements necessary for life, it can be
described as a consumer society.
“A consumer society is
known by its own values and characteristics. Such a society thrives where there
is cultural homogeneity. For instance, Pakistani society is divided into urban,
rural and tribal systems and is therefore heterogeneous. Not all these systems here qualify
for becoming a consumer society, although strong influences from urban areas
and abroad are rapidly seeping into the whole country, giving rise to all kinds
of problems.
“The other characteristic of this society is competitiveness
and showing off what one has. People in developed and urban consumer set-ups are under
constant pressure to prove themselves as better than their neighbours or fellows. People
are never satisfied with what they have, and perhaps we can say that
contentment and satisfaction are merely a kind of romanticism. It is discontentment
that leads to development. Human competition too is a biological phenomenon,
much like Darwin’s theory of ‘survival of the fittest’.
It is the desire for betterment and having more that brings
changes to lives. Wanting to have more can be, therefore, a positive factor
because if it stops so does the process of change. However, the consumer
society can expand only to the extent to which the local economic development
permits. In Pakistan there are many far-flung areas where there has not been any notable development because of the lack of economic incentives and life has
remained more or less stagnant.
The urge to 'want to have more” has driven man from the cave
to the current world. Nothing endures but change, which cannot happen if the
element of greed or “want to have more” is not there. At the same time, there
is no limit to the human propensity for self-destruction. There is a mutual
dependence of the three elements - need, greed and self-destruction that lead to social development. At every stage, the question of “rights” arises. The
basic needs common to all human beings are, in fact, their basic rights and
these should be enforced.
The current modern developments that we witness today, that leave
us fascinated by the wonders they unravel, is just the beginning. It is only
few thousand years ago that humans came down from the trees, and they are still
learning to walk. The day humans learn to walk will lead to massive change and,
perhaps even destruction, which can take us back to the Stone Age!
October, 2015
October, 2015
