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If we had less, we would appreciate things more: A discussion essay

In modern society, we are able to have pretty much anything we want, we are considered the lucky ones amongst others. Living in a first world country where consumerism is what moves money, we are pressured to spend more to cover our necessities, even if we don’t need it. But appreciating what we have is the problem. We are so used to buying things to throw them out soon afterwards that society may be forgetting their value.

First, there are many reasons as to why having less makes us appreciate things more. The first one being that you know that anything you have, you have worked for, so you know it’s real value, which it’s something other people with better economical situations probably will never know. That’s what usually happens. One could say that people end up blinded by their own privilege. And it’s not just a money-wise problem, it’s also an ideology issue. People with more problems usually care more about politics, because it could affect their well-being in a harsher way, for example: public healthcare in Europe it’s something that’s given, but if you look at the United States there are people struggling to pay for treatments that are free here or even much cheaper.

But of course, everything depends on the perspective you look at things, because you can have poor people complaining about not having anything while not doing anything to help it; and rich people who appreciate everything they have because they are able to see what it takes to have it. There are thousands of different situations that could lead someone to think one way or another. There are very rich people who started from the very bottom, even being homeless and struggling to cover the simplest of necessities, but they worked hard and earned every single dollar and made a way for themselves. If someone who is poor complains without doing anything, like I said before, the problem it’s theirs not something society did to them, it’s obvious that no one makes it nowhere without working hard.

This could also be associated with some psychological issues, but that’s another topic I won’t get into right now.

So, in conclusion, people should look at their lives in another perspective because, consumerism is destroying our society and planet also. We throw out so much that could still be reused it’s ridiculous. We should start caring about real issues, which are bringing basic help to everyone and slow down our spending. But we also should be thankful for the things we have, and mean it, you never know when you could lose it.

Marina Antolí Manrique

2n Batx A