On Giving and Gratitude

The season of giving thanks and giving gifts is upon us. We are reminded every time we turn on a television or radio or walk into any store of the approach of the one holiday that creates more mass hysteria, anxiety and depression than all others: Christmas. For many years, I worked in retail establishments during this time. For my own health and sanity, I needed to retreat from these hubs of consumption. I had to examine what this season means to me and how I might best express it. In coming to terms with my heart and the world around me, I have realized the following:

1. I do not need a lot of stuff.
2. While I am grateful for the stuff I have, excess stuff does not need to reside with me. I can give it away.
3. Stuff that I give to other people is given with love and no expectation of reciprocation.
4. My money is as powerful (and maybe more powerful) as my vote. I will vote with my money on a daily basis. I will choose how and when to spend my money.

Let's look at the word consumption for a moment. In biology, it refers to the process of ingesting something for energy gain. Consumption was also a term used to describe pulmonary tuberculosis, a disease that causes the body to gradually waste away as it loses a drastic amount of weight. In this way, the disease appeared to consume the body. When I use the word "consumption," I am referring to the process of purchasing everything I need to live: food, a place to live, clothing, fuel for my car, energy for my home, a phone service, medical services. A certain amount of consumption is necessary for our existence here on the planet. But an excess of consumption is like a disease, causing great waste. 

I like to look at my level of consumption as an ecosystem. In an ecosystem, there is a balance between consumption and output - that which is produced by an individual that benefits the greater ecosystem. I examine the amount of energy it takes to produce the money that I need to purchase things necessary for survival. I examine all that is needed to provide me with this energy. In this way, I have become selective about the amount of money I spend and how I spend it.

I purchase very little new stuff. I go to clothing swaps or buy things from secondhand stores. I acquire things from yard sales and estate sales. I've stopped buying books and started using the library. I make gifts or purchase fantastic items from shops like Reconsidered Goods in Greensboro - which bases its business model on recycling goods of all kinds - or Earthbound Arts in Winston-Salem - where everything is handmade with great love and care. These sorts of energy exchanges work for me. I know that I am supporting an economy based on recycling and a do-it-yourself mindset.

Think about all the things you buy. Think about how often you buy them. Think about altering that pattern. Consider going 24 hours without buying anything. This was the idea behind the launch of Buy Nothing Day, a day of alternative activities held on Black Friday aimed at getting people to look at mass consumption.

Several years ago, I was invited to help organize a Really Really Free Market on Buy Nothing Day. For me, this presented an alternative to participating in the annual consumer mayhem. But beyond that, a profoundly different economic model was demonstrated: a gifting economy. In a gifting economy, goods are given without any expectation of a return. At a Really Really Free Market, for example, individuals drop off goods that are no longer needed. Others shop through these goods and take what is needed for free. It isn't necessary to bring items in order to shop at the Really Really Free Market. There are no expectations of equitable exchange. Items are gifted to the market for anyone who needs them.

The Really Really Free Market was originally established as a form of protest in conjunction with the G8 Summit. But it endures as a means of sharing wealth and acquiring goods outside of our consumer economy.

The Really Really Free Market creates much gratitude. Gratitude is expressed by those who take items. And there is gratitude in the hearts of the givers. Because when we provide goods and services for others, we are looking after their well-being and hence, the well-being of the larger ecosystem that is our local community as well as the planet. It really is a wonder to behold the joyous display of gratitude among all who participate. This is why every year I make certain that there will be a Really Really Free Market on Buy Nothing Day.

This year the Really Really Free Market will be held on November 24 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. in the parking lot of The People's Market at the corner of Grove Street and Glenwood Avenue in Greensboro, NC. Join us for the love and gratitude!