On Materialism and Consumerism....

In the spirit of Black Friday, I felt the need to impose a thought on materialism and consumerism. The common theme about Black Friday is that we spend an entire day before being thankful for everything we have, but a few hours after the feast is over, we begin trampling each other to buy more and more things we don't need, just because they are inexpensive. Which makes me wonder, why are we so obsessed with materialism and consumerism?

Don't get me wrong, I am a girl. Therefore, whenever I go to the mall, my debit card commits suicide as I spend my life savings. Why do we all love to shop? We all realize we don't need half the stuff that we buy. We know we don't need to spend the money, especially in the current difficult economic state. So what do we get out of shopping?

I've come to realize that shopping and buying new things, in a way, allows you to become a new you. Every store you enter allows you a different taste of something you could be. Go in one store, you can be a skater punk. The next, a hipster. The last, a prep. Your options are endless, and chances are you'll go in each store and come out with something from each store. With these endless options, who you are is endless.

And so with these options, we continue to shop to continue to change every part of who we are. Our appearance is as versatile as the world we live in, and we adapt in our outward appearance to fit in to our ever changing world. But if we always change how we appear, what about the inside? Is that as ever changing?

I'd like to think our inside is stable. At our core, we know who we are. We know the qualities that define us and our strengths and weaknesses, and our outward appearance is a manifestation of the things we do or do not want people to know, but mostly the things we do not want people to know. But we keep all this hidden, as our true identity is our greatest secret is held dear to our hearts and only expelled to those we trust the most, in hope they do not turn against us.

Remember, who you are is beautiful, no matter what. No amount of things you purchase will change who you are. You are beautiful because you are you and you are unique in every way. Your story and your identity are meant to be shared to change someone's life. Let your light shine.