Coming to terms with my consumerism.
From the land of excess to the land of bare minimums. This is the transition that I am about to go through. I’m going from Japan, a steaming pot of Luis Vuitton clad, money soaked consumerist robots, to Brazil, a place where many people worry about whether they will be able to pay the rent or eat next week, and I have to admit I’m a bit freaked out. I have never considered myself an over the top consumerist or anything like that, but I’ve also never been thrown into an environment where I was, in essence, poor. Not “shit, I really want those 200$ shoes but I can’t afford them” poor but really truly poor. There is a very good chance however, that the minute I set my Canadian toes on Brazilian soil, that’s what I’ll be, really, truly poor. This of course raises a lot of anxiety in me but at the same time has hatched an unexpected excitement. In many ways I am looking forward to living a simpler life free from all the consumerist clatter. Luciano has tried to explain to me on many occasions how Brazilian people don’t look for satisfaction in expensive material goods because they've never been able to afford them and they know they never will. They don’t grieve things that are so far beyond their grasps. They instead find happiness in things that they can’t buy. Music, dance, love, family, BBQs in the park, walks on the beach. Perhaps that’s why Brazilians are so passionate and full of fire. They don’t satisfy themselves with material goods but instead find it in more earthly things. Brazilian people love (and hate) with an intensity that I have never seen before. I have come to think that it is because we (people from better off places) invest too much of ourselves in our “stuff” and not enough in those things that we can’t put in a box and show off to our friends. We have become emotionally stunted by our consumerism and I am no exception. We take simple things for granted while we obsess over gadgets.
That is why I am in a way looking forward to being on the “other side of the fence.”
From the land of excess to the land of bare minimums. This is the transition that I am about to go through. I’m going from Japan, a steaming pot of Luis Vuitton clad, money soaked consumerist robots, to Brazil, a place where many people worry about whether they will be able to pay the rent or eat next week, and I have to admit I’m a bit freaked out. I have never considered myself an over the top consumerist or anything like that, but I’ve also never been thrown into an environment where I was, in essence, poor. Not “shit, I really want those 200$ shoes but I can’t afford them” poor but really truly poor. There is a very good chance however, that the minute I set my Canadian toes on Brazilian soil, that’s what I’ll be, really, truly poor. This of course raises a lot of anxiety in me but at the same time has hatched an unexpected excitement. In many ways I am looking forward to living a simpler life free from all the consumerist clatter. Luciano has tried to explain to me on many occasions how Brazilian people don’t look for satisfaction in expensive material goods because they've never been able to afford them and they know they never will. They don’t grieve things that are so far beyond their grasps. They instead find happiness in things that they can’t buy. Music, dance, love, family, BBQs in the park, walks on the beach. Perhaps that’s why Brazilians are so passionate and full of fire. They don’t satisfy themselves with material goods but instead find it in more earthly things. Brazilian people love (and hate) with an intensity that I have never seen before. I have come to think that it is because we (people from better off places) invest too much of ourselves in our “stuff” and not enough in those things that we can’t put in a box and show off to our friends. We have become emotionally stunted by our consumerism and I am no exception. We take simple things for granted while we obsess over gadgets.
That is why I am in a way looking forward to being on the “other side of the fence.”
Cheers
J
2 Comments:
Hmm...interesting reflection. Something tells me, though, that your expectations about what Brazil will be like like are still probably way off the mark. You won't know until you're there. Objective things like your level of income of the level of income of those around you can definitely be known before you go. But what I'm getting at is that you won't know what that feels like until you're there.
Think back to what you felt Japan would be like before you moved there. I certainly had a lot of preconceived ideas about it before I went. Some of them turned out to be true, most didn't, but the one thing I never could have predicted was how I would respond to the change.
Not sure what my point is...but yeah. Just go with it. You'll be fine.
Have fun!
Not too much to report on this end. I have a big final on international economics tomorrow (which is why the talk of expectations and level of income) which I'll likely fail. But at this point I really don't give a flying fuck. Just get me to Australia. I told you that's where Katsushi took a job, right? I'll be there from the 30th of April until the end of the summer (er...winter) at least. Will probably come back to Ottawa to finish my degree, but that might be Sept. it might be Jan. it might be a year from now. Depends on how things go and whether of not I can hook something up I'm happy with. I'm excited!
Keep bloggin' girl.
Peter
Peter
wow, joe. i truly admire you, girl. i would freak out too, but you've got love on your side girl! i am so excited for you. it IS time to simplify...you've got someone here in cali cheering you on!
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