The fellow in this article in the Guardian is putting the whole Aligned Goods idea of mine to the test.
Mark Boyle took it upon himself to live one year without spending any money. In the article he states:
I believe the key reason for so many problems in the world today is the fact we no longer have to see directly the repercussions of our actions. The degrees of separation between the consumer and the consumed have increased so much that people are completely unaware of the levels of destruction and suffering involved in the production of the food and other “stuff” we buy. The tool that has enabled this disconnection is money.
Detachment is certainly a reason things go downhill, in my opinion. Out of sight, out of mind, the saying goes.
At another point he says how he realised I was looking at the world the wrong way
, and this caused something to click in the way I was thinking about applying my values in how I live my life.
The whole idea of Aligned Goods – which I have yet to write about – is finding and building a life where your consumption1 is aligned around your values. But I wonder if instead of finding a way to participate in the economy following sound values is the right way to look at it. On a personal level, yes, it helps to participate according to your values, but on a grander scale there is the desire to change the underlying mentality of consumption that exists in the current mentality or economy, and I am not sure that simply the idea of Aligned Goods will do that.
- Whatever that may be: food, clothing and other necessities and un-necessities. ↩
