This question comes to my mind a little too often these days. That’s what probably Dubai's gloating consumerism does to you – either you end up becoming a complete shop-o-maniac or you end up despising shopping! For me the latter holds well, considering I have never been a shopaholic in the first place…
So, while I burn my pockets each day to shop for my new house, and regret all the over the budget purchases I make, thanks to my comparative inexperience and impatience, this question haunts me everyday... can I ever say – No, I have enough!! No, I don’t need this thing now... or ever… (for that matter) and can very well survive without these overtly emphasized, profoundly desired and minutely brain drilled unnecessary luxuries of life…
My mind, partially hypnotized by the inviting malls and decorated show windows and partly confused by the Dubai societal pressure (outings, booze, parties, glitterati and the facebook mania where people tend to notice what you wore when!!!) meekly surrenders to the temptation, thinking…lets just buy it one last time.
The last time never comes!!
A new dimension was further added to my confused state of mind by the recent article in The Independent, and the documentary by the BBC (Slumdogs and millionaires), that showcased the plight of the omnipresent yet barely noticeable labor class in Dubai… who sleep in filth and are treated worse, providing a contrarian perspective to the glittering city that I have seen until now! Slave city, as they call it, the article did tingle my nerves thinking about the 'not so privileged' for whom Dubai is not a city of dreams, but a trap of hell…the architectural delights they create stand up only to laugh at their derisory existence..
No, I am not being a socialist. I believe that every person has a right to spend as they like…But, the documentary grabbed my attention to something else... the shallowness, greed, hunger, hypocrisy and more importantly the restlessness, incompleteness and fakeness that surrounds it all…! I am yet to see a contented soul, who is not bothered by this spending madness, who isn’t trapped by the fashion mania, or concerned with the shallow competitiveness of status and social stature. I guess, even if such a simplistic person exists, he/she would have not caught our eyes blinded by the sparkles all around.
Suddenly, I felt guilty and scared at the same time… somewhere, I am or will eventually become a part of this vicious whirlpool and get equally submerged in this brand smitten plastic city…focused on competing to splurge and flash unnecessary things! I feel guilty of being extravagant... guilty of exercising my brains and body lesser by the day… guilty of focusing on the materials and not the means… scared of losing myself… its like a live Matrix going on here… the mania rules your head, and you don’t know when you simply get smitten by it!
I need to search the Neo within…
And to do so, I will start by simply opting out of the materialistic rat race..
For every 100 bucks I spend, I will donate 5
For every thing I waste, I will create something new
I won't buy what I don't need,
I will not judge people on the outside, but on the inside…
I will put less make up and smile more often
I will spend more time with nature, kids and the aged…
And then probably, my mind will be confident to say... thank you , i have enough already !
1 comment:
Beautiful article Gloria and very thought provoking. I have been going through similar thoughts for a while now and have turned inward looking for joy, happiness, satisfaction. I was never really inclined toward the materialistic as a person but now, more than ever, I feel I have found peace in the world I have, the things I do or the decisions I have taken. No looking back, no regrets...
And no temptations :)
If you are inclined toward the spiritual, I will share with you some writings that I read everyday. I think you will like them.
Have a great day.
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