The Consequences of Abundance

Last week, we read an article called "We Gather Together" by Melanie Wallendorf and Eric J. Arnould about consumption rituals on Thanksgiving Day. The part of the article that struck me most was about different consequences of abundance on this day. The authors recognize that we use words like "stuffing" and "loading" (Wallendorf, 17) habitually to describe various types of traditional Thanksgiving foods. The holiday itself has transformed into a day where individuals "save up" all day and then gorge themselves to the point of misery by consuming a huge quantity of low-quality foods.

"An almost universal topic of after-dinner conversation is that everyone has overeaten and is painfully full" (Wallendorf, 18). Other consequences mentioned in the article include going for a short walk to ease the pain of over-abundance, consuming dessert on a full stomach, being silent during the meal, forgetfulness, and wearing loose clothing.

This particular part of the article got me thinking about American culture as a whole. It seems that in almost every aspect of our lives, we seek abundance. Continually wanting more can be good in some senses if we're talking about continually wanting an abundance of money in our savings or striving for an abundance of education. However, in many aspects there are negative consequences to abundance in American culture. For example, obesity is a huge problem that the United States faces. What is the reason? In many cases an abundance of unhealthy and convenient foods is the problem. On the contrary, hundreds of thousands of people across the globe die each year from hunger. Ironic isn't it?

Americans suffer consequences of abundance from other things that many in the world would consider a luxury. According to the Center for Disease Control,* 100 Americans die each DAY from overdosing on prescription drugs. The irony is that millions of others cannot get proper medical treatment or do not have access to the medication they need. Other examples of things that Americans tend to over-consume are alcohol, which we know has negative consequences, electricity/energy resulting in pollution, and even borrowing, giving Americans an abundance of debt. This seems all wrong doesn't it? Maybe we should be focusing on creating an abundance of schooling, healthy alternatives, and hospitals.

Maybe less really is more.. I have a feeling that our next book "The Paradox of Choice: Why more is less" will argue something similar.

*http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/rxbrief/