You Have Enough, You Have Enough, You Have Enough

No, but really. You have enough. Yesterday I read an article on Gawker about a mom featured in the Times. She won’t have enough after buying her daughter a pile of toys to buy herself “this year’s designer jeans.” Gawker expressed my dismay succinctly:

“Really not the sort of thing to pump you up to stimulate our wretchedly dysfunctional economy this Black Friday by buying a bunch of useless junk with money you didn’t save from sacrifices that don’t hurt on credit cards you shouldn’t have. So, really: Good call, Times.

(We are doomed, forever.)”

Well, all except the doom part. I think there’s something we can do about it. How about we all get a better grip on how much we do have.

Last year, when thousands of Americans flocked to their local big box and outlet malls and chain stores, I went to a clothing swap.

It was organized for those of us participating in Buy Nothing Day. I buy nothing on Black Friday because I’m protesting the sick amount of spending that happens on that day - I’ve watched people experience temporary insanity…maybe it’s because we’re over-full on the food we ate the day before, but it’s sad to witness.

Last night I tweeted that I’d be buying nothing on the day after Thanksgiving and my Twitter friend Neilochka responded, ‘I’m all for protesting consumerism, but isn’t this the one year when we want people to buy to stimulate the economy?”

The rest of our conversation:

There’s a difference between buying local and buying. I adore sites like Etsy and have contemplated doing a year of buying only local.
Here’s how Buy Nothing Day works:
“As the planet starts heating up, maybe it’s time to finally go cold turkey. Take the personal challenge by locking up your debit card, your credit cards, your money clip, and see what it feels like to opt out of consumer culture completely, even if only for 24 hours. Like the millions of people who have done this fast before you, you may be rewarded with a life-changing epiphany. While you’re at it, what better time to point out real alternatives to unbridled consumption – and the climate uncertainty that it entails – by taking your BND spirit to the streets?”

I’m advocating you try giving up stuff buying for the holidays this year. Buying nothing doesn’t mean doing nothing. Ask this dad how he and his family do it - and find happiness in the process.

It doesn’t mean caring less. To me, it means caring more. The greatest gift you can give to the people you love is this: celebrate what you have right now, this very moment, in happiness.

(Photo: Charity Beck/Times)