Navigating a Paradoxical Maze: Consumerism, Environmentalism, and the Quest for our "Best Days"

What is the relationship like between Consumerism and Environmentalism? Is there an ideal world where they can coexist? Are we living our "Best days" as we had promised ourselves earlier? Or has Consumerism impacted it, so much so that we have to go back into the past to save our future?

Consumerism and Environmentalism are often viewed as mutually opposing constructs. While the former emphasizes the accumulation and consumption of material resources, the latter advocates resource conservation, and long-term sustainability. The relationship between Consumerism and environmentalism is complex and yet very simple to understand. They are mutually opposing constructs because they believe in two completely disparate concepts whose co-existence is questionable in a very cynical sense. Where one advocates indulging in material possessions and emphasizes the acquisition and consumption of consumer goods while treating the consumer asking, the other advocates conservation of natural resources, sustainability, and making the environment a foundation for all lifestyle decisions. Where environmentalism follows the foundational principle of consumption for survival and preserving nature, consumerism introduces a lifestyle of luxury wherein life is made as easy and comfortable as possible at the cost of everything else. They coexist in a complicated construct and in way we need some of both without exploitation but for how long is the burning question!

The statement at the very start is susceptible to the subjective perception of the word best. What might be the notion of one person would be very different from the other. When we say best days, does it mean life for humanity wherein everything is based upon the fulfillment of each demand thus inducing instant gratification, the feeling of utmost convenience but at the cost of what and how much? Does the term mean a livelihood wherein one click improves the standard of living while artificial intelligence creeps its way into our mundane lives, slowly spreading its roots into the very fabric of our being? Maybe with each year that passes, our lives become simpler, in a sense that consumerism has brought with itself convenience on a silver platter and this has led us to believe that we are living our best lives at the moment but is that really true? I would say that humanity’s best days have already happened and everything after this day is one day closer to losing the very essence of humanity- its humaneness, the personal touch.

As we are progressing into the future, we are building lives for ourselves revolving around technology, basing professional and personal relationships on it, and allowing it to override the human element. According to me, the best days were when climate change wasn’t a volatile catalyst for mass extinction, when animal, mammals, and bird species weren’t threatened into endangerment due to the concrete jungles and their walls closing in.

We are building a civilization in hopes of establishing a better future for the coming generations but in the process are failing to understand that we are taking away a lot more than we bargained for. The pollution levels are skyrocketing, energy resources are depleting, nature is being threatened, society is fragmented and relationships are falling apart. Is this the best humanity can do for itself? Are these the best days that we had promised ourselves? I would want to say no and still hope for the best till the very end.