Consumerism and Marketing Greed In his essay, Dorje talks about how people have developed the habit of purchasing things that they do not need. Most of those purchases are consumer purchases. People started believing that they can fill the void in their lives with things and these things would make them happy. This behavior has an ugly name called greed. However, greed does not lay on the consumer side only; it has a heavy presence in the marketing business side as well. In this essay, we will discuss Dorje’s view about consumerism and greed. Moreover, we will visit the other side of the spectrum where marketers are facing ethical decisions to increase their profits. Considering the economic growth, product improvements, and competition; purchasing …show more content…
People want money to buy things, believing that things would bring happiness to their lives. Thus, the notion of money can bring happiness is not a healthy approach to live this life. In one of his interviews, Jim Carry said, “I hope everybody could get rich and famous and will have everything they ever dreamed of, so they will know that it’s not the answer.” In reality, money and its acquisitions can turn us away from happiness. Dorje believes that happiness does not come from money and not even from the stuff that money buys. More importantly, as we emotionally invest in the idea of happiness and money as a combination, we will eventually cut ourselves off from others. We would turn into self-focused individuals who care about the self only. That can be the same for the marketers and business executives who work day and night making sure that we spend more and more every year. Stuffing our lives, houses, and garages with all the things that add absolutely no beneficial value, instead, these stuff takes away from us our future purchasing and investing power and more clutter into our lives. It is not surprising that millions of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. It is the cycle of deceptions that we find ourselves spending to in and believing that our happiness relies on …show more content…
He makes the argument that by breaking the habit of greed and cultivate contentment, then we can gain the true happiness. If we want little and content with what we have, then we have everything we want. Additionally, cultivating contentment will be better for the environment and other people. As a result of all that, we can all flourish together in a healthy environment which we will be even happier. His case is a collective of ideas that come from the Buddhist’s attitudes toward desires that are similar to the Epicureans and the Stoics in many respect. In some way, they all connect desires with suffering. The idea that desires bring suffering. This ideology brings truth and wisdom. As an example, I would not be a good idea to take out a loan and purchase a sports car just to satisfy my desires. Although I might satisfy my desires by buying a sports car, and I would enjoy it every time I drive it to work. However, I would bring much suffering to myself and my families budget by trying to make the monthly