Pixabay

Branded By Society

Having never been ruled by materialistic values,
I find it a sad state of affairs,
That mankind believes happiness is accrued,
By possessions and other worldly wares,
Allowing them to become ensnared,
Pushed and cajoled by a society,
That subliminally promotes despair,
Onto those not seduced by ‘ownership’ beauty,

Constantly are we under the barrage of advertising,
Hurled upon us from all venues and media forms,
Daily our minds are assaulted by others selling,
Items, possessions, desire and other sinful conforms,
That will enrich our lives no end,
And boost our kudos within commercial consumerism,
Failing to comply and actually spend,
Will result in us damning our souls and becoming victims,

And people fall for this, as has been the case for many, many years,
Whereupon in the quest for overall happiness,
They buy into the materialistic systems that will allay their fears,
And we will become wholesome, yet penniless!
But this does not matter, for with all of our goods,
We can lead totally healthy and stress free lives,
Irrelevant again that we are seduced by falsehoods,
Branded by a society that knows not how to forgive,
Those who do not buy into this supposed paradise,
Of possessions of such awesome power and greatness,
And are not driven to open their wallet due to the lies,
Promoted by the advertisers who apparently sell happiness?

Clever and skilful marketers inform us all the time,
We should ‘get a life’ by buying into conspicuous consumption,
For this alone will increase our social status and lifetimes,
Always the promotional tag line from the gifted salesman!
Indeed, it is a critical and well-known fact,
That to own a practical ‘anything’ is simply not enough,
It may do the job required, but lacks…
Panache, je ne sais quoi and is simply too rough,
‘No, no, no’ a vehicle that gets you from A – B,
Might be ideal and worthy of your credit line,
Yet perception by those orientated materistically,
Will simply look upon you as a social waste of time,
You have to ask yourself at least once in your life,

Do l really need all these contraptions of vice,
Spending myself out of pocket and plummeting into credit strife,
Just to keep up with the Jones’s and to look ‘socially nice’?
Does it really matter if l have the latest craze or trend,
Will my life now be so enriched that l will dazzle,
Astound, and genuinely impress my standing and friends,
That to have the newest gadget will improve my lifestyle?
Those that are considered wealthy and richer than most,

Predominantly live modest and humble lives,
Appreciating the little they do own and value the utmost,
Delightful pleasures that require not being captives,
Of a society that is turning itself into a greed nation,
Where expensive wares, latest fashion and highest technology,
Are to be seen as the way forwards to consumer heaven,
Irrelevant to the damning effects it may have on mans’ psychology,

Gone are the days when items of ownership used to last,
For now we live in a truly disposable society,
Newly acquired possessions are burnt up too fast,
Their values, worthless because of advertised variety,
Many are simply not content to be happy with the purchase,
For there may be something better next week,
Disposable items are rubbish, and are not ageless,
Like they were before the consumerism chic,

Now, we see many indulging hotly in commercial desires,
Desperate to keep up with society branding,
And constantly buying into the market of ‘newly acquireds’
Fearful to not comply, will result in a lynching,
I have no time for this foolhardiness, these falsehoods,
Turned my back on society branding, and everything glossy,
All l want is my life to be stress free, and fundamentally good,
Surviving on basics, and enjoying life’s’ beauty,

But for those, who cannot think of a life without,
Thousands of appliances, high tech, fancy gadgetry,
Latest fashion design, performance cars, eating out,
Expensive holidays, new kitchens and all other fantasy,
Think about this, when you are dead and too far away to see,
Your life shortened by the stress of conspicuous consumption,
Materialistic panic buying, and branding by society,
What will your epitaph read … ‘Death by Consumerism?’

© Rory Matier 2011