Consumerism by definition is a social and economic order and ideology that encourages the acquisition of goods and services in ever-greater amounts. Going by this definition, a country that consumes large quantities of goods will enjoy healthy economic conditions. Such a system is built on the underlying premise that growth will be infinite. But how can growth be infinite on a planet with finite resources?

Going a step further, the question we really need to ask is why did we build an economy based on an act as unsustainable as consumption. The answer to this lies at the core of our being. As humans we are innately wired to consume and we use consumption as an external stimulus to keep us engaged. In his book “The Consuming Instinct”, evolutionary psychologist Gad Saad talks about the deep rooted biological heritage that drives our consuming patterns. He demonstrates that,

“most acts…