WHY WE CONSUME EXCESSIVELY?
Spirituality tells us that we are Gods ourselves. It is this GOD who we are which is the only worthwhile reference point in life. This is the point where all our identifications should converge. However, that which is the closest is easiest to miss.
We thereby fail to identify with this reference point. We end up identifying with all things external. All our consumption is only a manifestation of such ever-increasing external identifications.
WHY WE SHOULDN’T CONSUME BEYOND CERTINE JUSTIFIED NEEDS?
There is a reason why renunciation or simplicity has been the very spine of Indian philosophy. A big part of Indian philosophy is based on the approach of ‘neti neti’. ‘Neti neti’ literally means ‘not this, not this’. In other words, it means ‘This also is not me, this also is not me’.
It is through this approach alone that we relieve ourselves of all external identifications. An identification with an external object is only a device to enhance our definition of ‘me’. The more these identifications fall, the narrower our definition of ‘me’. When all identifications fall, our definition of ‘me’ collapses into the one and only primordial reference point which we earlier talked about. That which we may choose to call SOUL or GOD or NOBODY whatever we wish.
It is this centri-petal collapse which is called Enlightenment. Hence in the interest of such enlightenment, we should reduce things external.
WHY WE SHOULDN’T CONSUME MINDLESSLY?
The quality of God is consciousness or awareness. The higher we rise in our sense of awareness, the closer we move to God. When we consume mindlessly, we are only caught up in unconsciousness, aren’t we ? It is only when we deny what we want to consume that we can be conscious, isn’t it ?
When we have an ice-cream we are so busy enjoying it that we go with the flow. We end up having it unconsciously. But can we chew the bitter neem leaves without consciousness? Hence it is in doing things which we may not initially want to do and not doing things that we unconsciously tend to do, that our awareness grows ..crazy , but true .. This is why this country has come up with many ascetic paths. I don’t mean to be a kill-joy but I am simply highlighting one of the ways of Sadhana.
It is only when we deny mindless unconscious consumption, that our awareness grows. It is so easy to slap another when we are slapped by him. However not slapping another in return takes enormous awareness and also furthers this awareness. We often tend to cloak our mindless unconscious actions as ‘being natural & spontaneous’. That way, defecating in our own pants is also natural and spontaneous. But we don’t do that, right?
Denial of such mindless unconscious actions alone can bring awareness. Too much indulgence or excessive consumption is just one another mindless unconscious action. Therefore, not just for global cooling or to avoid a recession, but in interest of our own awareness, our own enlightenment, it makes sense to consume mindfully.
