While Black Friday is the opposite of sustainability, it doesn’t get any less popular. Here’s what I learned from skipping Black Friday :
Our inboxes and social media feeds are being filled up with an avalanche of adverts encouraging us to spend. I get it – it’s sale seasons and many of us may have been waiting to buy an essential product, such as a new mattress or new laptop. Sale seasons help many people access products that wouldn’t otherwise be affordable to them. So, if you’re awaiting Black Friday as a matter of affordability, go ahead and buy.
But, when I decided to all these holiday shopping deals, especially Black Friday, i learned invaluable lessons about myself -and i’d like to share with you :
I learned to check my privilege, above all else
2020 sheds lights on the sore inequalities rampant in our society. Let’s be clear – Covid-19 pandemic can’t tell if you’re rich or poor, female or non-binary, God-fearing or atheist, homosexual, heterosexual or somewhere on the spectrum. It does not discriminate. But it hits certain populations harder than others, partially due to privilege.
While many don’t have access to basic needs of life, i was able to prepare for social distancing. I am able to work from home for the rest of the year and will still be paid.
So if you’re home like myself, still getting paid, with food to eat and TV to watch, check your privilege. If you have a computer, internet access and avalanche of Black Friday and holiday season deals to check, recognise and confront your privilege.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s no shame in admitting that you’re privileged. What’s important is that you’re acknowledging that you are and recognising how it works for you but against other people. Once you do that, you can begin actively addressing many issues that come with privilege.
I learned to trust my own choice
Over the years, i have the obsession with “i gotta have it now” – yes the instant gratification mentality. After awhile, i realised that this need to stay ‘on trend’ it’s not actually a sustainable lifestyle; not long-term, anyway. It is incredibly hard, if not impossible.
Ultimately, i reflect back and decided that i can’t live with the silent suffering of being too afraid to make my own choices for fear how it will look to others.
I learned to feel greater appreciation for the things I have
I discover that the things i have are enough. I get more creative and puts my problem-solving skills to good use. Even more, I got a chance to celebrate my own ‘unique’ self. I learned that falling in love “again” with what i already have opens up possibilities, which also means i am not limited to what’s in season or trending at the moment, which means i can be creative, build unique identity of myself. It’s about finding a balance that works for me.
I have no doubt that each of us could have an even greater impact on the world. So if you do feel the need to shop this Black Friday, go ahead and buy with purpose.
