This trend has shaped the paradigm of our society, and therefore its members. We have turned material goods into our means as well as our ends. Consequently, we move away from that which unites us to what is human, to what is natural. By not specifying the human objective concerning nature, individuals live in dreams of greatness and power over their peers. Greedily give up the essentials.
However, various environmental groups have tried to raise awareness about the problems caused by mass consumerism. And thanks to these people and their ecological revolution, measures have been achieved that have positively impacted the environment. An example of this situation is Chris Jordan, an American photographer who explored every corner of his country’s garbage dumps. As a result of his journey, his project Intolerable Beauty: Portraits of American Mass Consumption emerged, where the beginnings of the Apocalypse in progress are exposed:
I am dismayed by these scenes, yet also drawn with amazement and fascination. The immense scale of our consumption can appear bleak, macabre, strangely comical and ironic, and even darkly beautiful. It is an astonishing complexity. […]
The pervasiveness of our consumerism has a seductive kind of mass mentality. […] I fear that in this process we are doing there is irreparable damage to our planet and our respective individuals. […] I know that when we do not obtain an answer to a complicated question, our attention can turn towards ourselves, and in that space there may be the possibility of a certain evolution of some thought or action. So I hope these photographs can serve as a portal leading to cultural deliberation. We may step out of our comfort zone, but I’ve heard that when we risk awareness, at least we know we’re awake.
For this reason, if we wish to reconstruct society, it is necessary to carry out a certain revolution of the spirit. And every time an individual is aware of the risk that consumerism and its detritus entail, it is a battle won. We do not need cynical or skeptical people, but rather people who are willing to become aware of the situation, as well as find solutions. To individuals who say “And why not?”
This story was originally published in Spanish in Ecoosfera
