Do I get to choose whether I want toxic chemicals in my soap or not? Do I get to choose if I want it to be packaged in single-use plastic or not? When companies choose to influence me on a psychological level to buy a soap, where is my freedom? Of course, there are different fragrances, colours & types of soap available but if you zoom out and really analyse, there is only one popular, mainstream option. Do I have the freedom to choose the right soap for me or for that matter any other consumer good?
Am I really choosing or have the choices for me have been already made by the system?
Let me try and explain this with a story.
A man was drinking in a bar with his friends when the clock struck at 10 pm. Halfway through his drink, he got up hastily to leave. His friends mocked him, "Are you leaving your drink midway because you are scared of your wife?" They asked him, "Are you the man of the house or a mouse?". The man replied ''I am the man of the house. If I was a mouse then my wife would have been scared of me, not the other way around." When he reached home, his wife was angry because he was late again. The angry wife began to chase him with a rolling pin in hand. The man ran all around the house with his wife on tow. When he reached the bedroom he quickly slipped under the bed, where he knew his wife couldn't fit. His wife screamed "Why are you hiding under the bed? Are you the man of the house or a mouse?". The man responded, "I am the man of the house. That's why I have the freedom to sleep wherever I want".
Did he really have the freedom to sleep wherever he wanted or he had no other choice but choose to stay in an illusion of choice?
Did he really have the freedom to sleep wherever he wanted? Or did he have no other choice but to stay in an illusion of having a choice? While sleeping under the bed we may feel we have the choice between the different companies and technologies of phones or TV or clothes or cosmetics. The important question is if we have blinded ourselves with the current reality of the market and stopped thinking beyond it. In this process have we forgotten to consider our health and our planet's well-being?
Here I would like to state the fact that there is no legal definition of the words Ayurvedic, Natural, Organic, Healthy. I can label a packet of chips Healthy and fill it with whatever ingredients and sell it to you. I am not implying that all ingredients and all companies are bad or that they have a bad intention. All that I am asking you is, "Are you are making an informed choice?". "Do you know what is there in your so-called Natural Ayurvedic Toothpaste?
If freedom means choosing whatever type of clothes I want to wear, am I aware of the workers who are underpaid, overworked and abused to make those fashionable branded clothes so affordable?
If freedom means keeping my hair the way I want, am I aware of the harmful chemicals put in shampoos, hair gels, conditioners and hair colours?
If freedom means having the choice to eat veg or non-veg food, do I know how cruelly animals are treated in today's mass meat industry? Do I know that the modern meat industry is one of the top contributors to global warming?
Do I and you live in a false sense of freedom?
For many of us, shopping has become an activity to feel good about ourselves. Using one's own credit card make one feel free and independent. But what are you really free from? Haven't we become slaves to modern stereotypes of being fashionable, successful and happy. How and why does owning the best thing available in the market dictate my self-worth? And mind you, the best things in the market change every day.
Leading a modern and free life to me doesn't mean falling prey to a consumeristic lifestyle. To me, a free life means being true to who I am. It means living my life to its full potential and leading a conscious lifestyle.
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