Who will buy?

Who will buy?

They say that only after a person’s basic needs are met can they work towards a greater good. You’ve heard the phrase “vote with your wallet.” How are our purchasing habits leading us toward a greater good?

Each generation influences the next through its actions and words. Let’s consider how purchasing has changed over the years…The following is my personal analysis and, I’m sure, an over generalization.

This is from the US Census Bureau; it correlates when you were born to your generation.

1983-2001 - New Boomers


1965-1982 - Generation X


1946-1964 - Baby Boomers


1929-1945 - Lucky Few


1909-1928 - Good Warriors


1890-1908 - Hard Timers


1871-1889 - New Worlders

An alternate listing for the latest generations:

2001-Present - New Silent Generation or Generation Z


1980-2000 - Millennials or Generation Y

I am either a tail end member of Gen X or an early Millenial. Our Grandparents’ grandparents, the New Worlders, were probably not concerned with purchasing as much as trading and seeking a better life. They were enthusiastic about our nation. The possibilities for improved quality of life seemed endless.

Our grandparents’ parents and grandparents, the Hard Timers and Good Warriors, lived through the Great Depression (1930s and 40s), a devastating blow to previous enthusiasm. These brave people got by on very little. What little funds they had, they saved. This event would affect them for the rest of their lives and affect their children as well. To envision a better place, they invested their minds in science, research, religion and discovery. When they purchased something, maybe they thought, “can I afford this?” and “is it worth it?”  This concern is passed to the next generation.

October 24, 1929

And so it seems natural, after a period of great loss, that their children, the Baby Boomers, would associate the ability to buy things with status and care. Work hard and earn money so that you can comfortably take care of your family. When they purchase something, they might ask, “Will this increase the quality of my life or the life of someone I love?” Baby Boomers are currently the top spending power in America. Their choices have the greatest influence on production. They are a complex group because they also introduced many radical movements. They wanted to care for the planet. Carl Sagan said, “We are all connected to each other.” In the vast mostly emptiness of space, we on planet Earth, only have each other. Baby Boomers taught us to think globally. They would teach the next generation (us) to think locally, a consequence of thinking globally. These values affect our decisions.

My generation is next in line. I believe people are accepting more social and environmental awareness. We can become careless if we don’t consider long-term (and I mean REALLY long term, not just a human life) implications of our spending habits. When my generation buys something, we ask questions too. I try to ask myself, “Where did the material for this item come from?” Not only who constructed it and was that person treated fairly, but also what pieces of Earth’s resources were mined or harvested or released chemicals into the environment that resulted in this product? I imagine: where will this product eventually end up? Will it degrade harmlessly? In a landfill? Floating in the ocean? Swallowed by an animal? By purchasing this, I encourage the continuation of this product. This way of thinking is a result of our own unique contribution to the ideas passed to us by those who came before us. When we receive a gift, we wonder if the resources used to create it are easily renewable. Shouldn’t we divide Earth's resources equally among the world’s citizens? No, better yet: I think we should leave as much as possible undisturbed on the planet. Why should our small moment in time get more resources than the other moments, and the Earth itself? People toss around the word sustainable; but this is what I think it really means.

from Ban the Bottle

What ideas will the next generation contribute? My hope for the next generation is that they continue to build on these ideas. I observe that already, thinking internationally is not a challenge for them; it is merely a consequence of their connected lifestyles. Science and research, begun long ago, is helping them understand our planet. Our current way of life is unsustainable, that is clear. The younger generations will have to lessen their dependence on energy and resources. This won’t be an option; rather, this is their reality. When they buy something, they will have to wonder, "I am privileged to buy this product, but what are the consequences?" The good news is that they are optimistic and many of them are absorbing knowledge that they can apply to a new direction, one that I cannot yet imagine. We can influence them through our example.

Hubble Deep Field- a photo of an "empty" patch of sky

I am far from the model of a minimalist and my thoughts are not new or unique. I don’t have the answers. Many don’t have the luxury to choose how they spend because of hard times. But maybe together we can work toward solutions that will benefit every being on this tiny planet that we live on. I personally don’t think spending money is always the answer. Many people believe that a healthy society exchanges money. But if we have to buy things, can we support each other’s ideas, skills and experiences? Could our exchange of money preserve nature, support our fellow Earth occupants and encourage people to push their minds to the limits in research and the arts? Makes you think differently about the lyric “Who will buy this wonderful morning?” We might ask not just who will buy, but what will they buy?

A student shared this with me: