SELF-CONTROL - The Fruit Of The Spirit As An Antidote To Consumerism

People shopping in the rain

At the heart of consumerism there is a deep level of greed. A desire for more - for better. Greed is never satisfied, a hunger that is never filled.

"If only i had this, then my life would be better". It is a misplaced longing for a deeper connection, for purer relationships.

Of course there are things that make our lives better and easier, but we must be able to weigh up this with the cost on others and the cost on the environment.

this is where self-control comes in, it helps us to cut through the greed and desires and look to the heart of the problem, to weigh up our needs with the needs of others. It helps us to say "no, i don't need this, its just another thing". 

In our culture of 'do what feels good, do what you want' self-control is difficult. It is hard to foster, and as with everything, it is easier to do in a community with other like minded people, so that we don't feel isolated.

May we find ourselves in communities of practice, may we learn to see our greed for what it is, and may we learn to foster self-control.

For a reminder of the previous blog posts in this series, they are:

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