Finding God in our
consumerist world

THAT'S a real challenge. The idea struck me when a close friend of mine, more than just a relative, came to me to talk about his new "baby."

It's what he calls a budget store where he sells assorted items -- ranging from shirts, dusters, towels, underwear and caps to some tools like screwdrivers, scissors, lighters, igniters, etc. -- each one selling below 100 pesos.

I even saw a set of four screwdrivers priced only at 20 pesos, good socks at 15 pesos, ladies' dusters (house dress) at 99 pesos, stylish cell phone case at 65 pesos.

That's the main selling point. But he still has many other gimmicks to draw the crowd. There will be fashion shows, featuring not stars but ordinary people, music, posters, raffles, etc.

The idea was to create a very friendly and homey atmosphere, informal yet responding to some specific and immediate needs and with a dash of style to boot.

I realized that what might appear as a simple corner store is actually backed up by a sophisticated arsenal of marketing plans and schemes, with significant expertise and sizeable investment thrown in.

Yes, there are many trade secrets involved, especially in relation to the sourcing of the products.

He said his market could be iconized by such showbiz stars as Ai-Ai de las Alas, Jolina, Juday, Piolo, Robin, Hero. So he said he would have blown-up pictures of them in his shop.

I was amazed. The other day, I blessed another store in a big mall, and there I saw the mind-boggling volume of products being sold, and the continuing flow of antics all meant to make you part with your peso.

They seem to tease you or titillate you. They try to make you feel and look good, to think that you are a VIP. In fact, they seem to tell you what are you doing not buying all these things that are so beautiful, helpful, blah, blah, blah.

We don't speak here simply of a consumers' world, but a consumerist world where there can be the tendency to simply produce, sell, buy and use goods for the sole purpose of satisfying not so much legitimate human needs as greed, vanity, pride, avarice, selfishness, individualism, etc.

This is the world that we have to contend with now. We can have some government or legal move to regulate such a world, but then again all these external things can only do so much.

Of course, at the back of my mind came the question: How do you find God in this environment, how can you talk about truly sanctifying yourself in this kind of atmosphere?

Certainly, we cannot say that we should not produce certain products, we cannot stereotype them as to what item is necessary or good or helpful. What may not be important to you may be important to another person.

The store that I blessed recently was selling girl items like fancy bags, necklaces, and pendants. I have completely no use for them and I don't think I'll have a reason to encourage girls to buy them.

But can I say that they should not be produced, sold and bought? Unless they are intrinsically evil, they cannot be banned from being produced and sold.

The decision to make, buy and sell must therefore come from our consciences. This can be the only way to find God in this environment and to truly do everything for the good of all persons.

But it should be a conscience that is well formed and truly upright. This means that everything that we do should be done for the glory of God and for the common good.

But knowing our imperfect human condition, we have to include always a certain degree of restraint and temperance, foster a keen sense of justice and solidarity when producing, selling or buying things.

What unfortunately happens many times is that many people just produce, sell and buy, guided only by their instincts or passions or a blind adherence to what is popular.

Reason and the indications of faith and charity are often held in abeyance, if not totally ignored. This is a very dangerous situation, since such state of affairs can lead not only to our dechristianization but even to our dehumanization.

Alas, that's what we can observe now. There are many signs such dreadful processes are taking place.

A number of parents, for example, have complained why their children are so difficult to discipline nowadays. This is not to mention why there seems to be an increase of infidelities, illegitimate children, etc.

The answer can only come from the fact that forming the consciences of people is neglected, people are praying less and less, and the ideal of going to the sacraments and of doing ascetical struggle, developing virtues, etc., is ignored.

You know, what governs here is the simple rule that what you reap is what you sow or fail to sow.