Personal Manifesto

           After studying the leisure class, how to go green, global economics, and how advertisers and marketers have influenced the American culture in Beginning Media Writing this semester, my values have been refined. Not only have I obtained information about these subjects, but I have also felt called to applying that knowledge to my own personal philosophy. As a practicing Seventh-day Adventist, I strive to be a responsible steward of what God has blessed me with including the earth, monetary comfort, and my health.

            In The Theory of the Leisure Class, Thorstein Veblen points out the conspicuous habits of the wealthy and their wastefulness. As an American, I am considered as affluent. The pages of this book are filled with the observation and analysis of the behaviors of the rich. Although I do not necessarily agree with everything Veblen posits, I do agree that many Americans exhibit intemperate conduct. One time I purchased a Louis Vuitton purse for $500. This bag, although of fine construction and durable leather, does not somehow perform its function more efficiently than its equivalent at a local retail store. Instead, I paid an exorbitant amount of money to purchase a name that would be recognized by others and place me in the same class as the elite. I bought this purse to prove, as Veblen would say, that I had enough money to waste. I wanted people to have a certain impression of me – that I was glamorous. Looking back on this action, I see that this was a ridiculous consumption simply for my own personal profit. All that I gained was a purchased opinion of myself. “The wealth or power must be put in evidence, for esteem is awarded only on evidence, “ Veblen says (29). Instead of valuing being seen as fashion conscious and able to appreciate the luxurious lifestyle, I have definitely matured (and become more humble). I am learning every day the value of a dollar, that I really do not have the money to spend conspicuously, and that there are much more important ways I could use it. I realize that I do not need the designer name brand of everything, that less is more, and that money certainly is not everything. Admittedly fashionable things occasionally tempt me, but I keep trying to spend more on what I actually need and is useful than on things that I want or are extraneous.

            Our planet’s current activities are unsustainable. Bill Mckibben emphasized some of the problems with humanity’s current worldwide lifestyle. The two ideas that most interest me are in the areas of food and energy. Currently, my home runs entirely off of electricity. We use no renewable resources, and my family does not do much in way of conservation of it or rationing. When I move out on my own post-graduation, I would like to research the ways I could draw from renewable resources. I am intrigued by tidal and solar power as well as energy generated from wind turbines. Beyond that, I can use clothes lines, by specific light bulbs, install photovoltaic shingles, and do other small things to make a big impact when combined. Currently I can try to be less wasteful by unplugging things when I am not using them, turning the water off in the shower or doing dishes while I am soaping up, and remembering always to turn off the lights when I am not using them. Also, although I do not live in an area with public transportation, car-pooling is an alternative. Riding my bike probably will not get me very far at home, but it is an option while I am at school. Not only am I wasting money when I neglect to be conscious about my consumption of energy, but I am also pushing towards the crisis point when we run out of coal.

            The other idea that McKibben presented that resonated with my values is communal living, especially in regards to supporting the local economy. As an American, I have become used to being able to obtain any food at any season. At least in regards to produce,  I always preferred purchasing it from the local farmer’s market. Now I better understand the importance of buying local goods. My neighbors need to provide for their family’s and make a living. I live in an area where local businesses are prevalent; only in the past 5 years have chain stores been popping up. The small town environment fosters relationships and connections with most of the people who live there; my family owns two small businesses, and we know the family’s that own most of the others. Instead of putting our money into the chain stores, allowing them to create a monopoly, I try to make my purchases from locally owned, independent businesses. This goes for everything from the restaurant I eat at to the food I buy and where I get my oil changed. I have always valued this lifestyle, but my awareness for its importance has increased over the course of this semester. Mckibben points out that although it appears cheaper to purchase food from chain stores, the actual cost is surprising:

It may be expensive in terms of how much oil it requires, and how much

greenhouse gas it pours into the atmosphere, and how much tax subsidy it

receives, and how much damage it does to local communities, and how many

migrant workers it maims, and how much sewage it piles up, and how many miles

of highway it requires […]” (89)

I enjoyed reading about Mckibben’s year of eating locally, and am interested in what it would take to do that in my own area. The biggest change that I can currently make is in my consumption of food; I do well buying local produce, but I want to seek out other ways of eating locally.

            Jeffrey D. Sachs writes about global issues like population control, poverty, and global warming. I can take the steps mentioned above in doing my part in preventing these issues. I feel like the best way to make a global impact is through missions and education. I have participated in a number of short-term missions trips to the Galapagos Islands, Mexico, and San Francisco. I would like to continue going on these trips, and am interested in the possibility of longer missions experiences as well. Not only can I physically help the people in impoverished countries by building, cleaning, etc, I can make a spiritual impact on their lives through my testimony and example. I also feel like the biggest tool in controlling population and giving them the ability to choose other steps crucial to saving our planet is education. Research has proven that educated women or more likely to use birth control. This is just one example of the impact it has on people’s lives. Sachs says, “Sustainability has to be a choice, a choice of a global society that thinks ahead and acts in unaccustomed harmony” (81). I can continue making my own choices towards sustainability, living as an example, and educating others so that they too will hopefully make the choice of sustainable living. Every individual effort counts in the fight to preserve our planet.

            My favorite book that we read in this class is Born to Buy by Juliet B. Schor. This was interesting, provocative, and a little bit scary when I read about how advertising is affecting the American youth. Everything I read in this book, I can see from personal experience that it is completely true. Children want to grow up sooner, advertisements infiltrate every aspect of their life, and parents are losing control. I added the knowledge gleaned from this book to my store for if I ever become a parent. Schor reports, “only 59 percent of parents reported that their relationships with their school-aged children are ‘extremely or very close,’ and only 57 percent reported engaging in vey warm behaviors with their child several times a week” (36). This statistic was the most shocking to me. I have an extraordinarily close relationship with my mom, and both of my parents have shown me love by jokes, spending time with me, and giving me hugs. I cannot imagine not smothering all of the people I love in exuberant demonstrations of my affection. The relationships I have with my family are the core of my life. They have shaped me into the woman I am today, and they have influenced my own decision making. I hope to instill the values into my own children that my parents shared with me and teach them to make conscientious decisions concerning advertising and marketing. But before I can tell anyone else what to do, I need to make sure I am consistently doing it myself.

            All of these things culminate in my number one value: relationships. By cultivating, healthy, positive connections with other people, I can and will change the world. John Maxwell says, “Leadership is influence.” Everyone influences someone during his or her lifetime, therefore, we are all leaders. I want to use my influence in a positive way, educating and leading an exemplary life to promote sustainability, a local economy, and good choices. The relationships I develop enhance my effectiveness as a leader allowing me to reach more people in a positive way. Relationships are what have made the biggest impact on my own life, and they are essential in instilling the tools necessary to grow up environmentally conscious in our children. As Sachs said, sustainability has to be a unified effort. I believe you achieve unity through relationships, and if we bring up a generation educated in economics and valuing more than just material goods, the earth will be in good hands.