It's a competitive world

As mammals, we are born to compete for status within our social hierarchies. Materialism offers a neat way to display one's position in that hierarchy without any longer having to a) beat into submission hundreds or thousands of other men or b) gather a harem of dozens or hundreds of women. 

No - all that's needed today is ownership of a private jet, one's own island, a mass-media outlet to control what people think, and a collection of something collectable - artwork, fine wines, classic cars or rare books. "Look at me! I'm a success!" [The corollary is that everyone else not on this level is a loser.]

Because the communist system was so inefficient at generating wealth, value and innovation, even those at or near the top of the status hierarchy were not actually that well-off when compared to rich folk in the free-market West. And when the Iron Curtain fell, and the baubles of consumerist culture became available in countries like Poland, there was a sudden and largely mindless rush to consume, possess and display one's new-found social status.

I suspect that this is why the car-ownership rate in Poland in the highest in the EU. "Amongst the EU Member States with the highest motorisation rates, i.e. passenger cars per thousand inhabitants, Poland (687 passenger cars per thousand inhabitants) heads the list. In second place follows Luxembourg with 681 cars per thousand inhabitants" - Eurostat, March 2022

It's not just cars. Society around me seems to be in a mad rush to earn, consume and display status. Yet once detached from the metaphysical nature of life, all that remains is matter and materialism. The handbrakes are off; self-reflection fades, and what counts is solely What Others Think Of Me.

In mediaeval times, one's place in the pecking order was ordained to a greater extent than today by birth - there were far fewer escape routes from the rural poverty into which most folk were born into. One, of course, was the Church; bright boys could choose the monastic life or enter the priesthood, and there they could study, and advance up this particular hierarchy, with the brightest and best reaching high rank as abbotts or bishops or cardinals. The whole point of celibacy within the Church was to prevent the cumulation of personal wealth for intergenerational transfer; it had to be retained by the Church.

But whatever the system, mankind's inexorable need to display status through the accumulation of goods considered to be luxurious; gold, gems, ermine and works of art. Even the spiritual hierarchy, that takes vows of holy poverty, would still claim "these luxury goods are not mine, they belong to the Church", while enjoying a lifestyle of luxury known only to kings and feudal lords.

I hold that a middle way must be found; for our own personal sanity, for a healthier, better functioning society, and for our planet that is being steadily warmed by two billion rich people as they consume.

We must be aware of our behaviour and motivation as consumers; we must buy less, make do with what we have, and be conscious of our spending decisions. "Aim to live in comfort, not in luxury", remains a motto of mine; knowing when to get out of the rat-race is crucial. This is when maturity kicks in, overcoming the social creature within us all that's unwittingly guided by the mammalian imperative to show off. Maturity blossoms into enlightenment, which can reach the state of transcendence; but much water must flow first under the bridge. "If you're not married by 30 and made by 40, you're an all-round fool", my mother used to tell me. But external pressure to compete is not a wise counsel. Knowing when to take the foot off the materialist accelerator is a sign of wisdom, a sign that you know that there's more to self than ego. 

The quest for knowledge, understanding and ultimately, serenity, is for me a far greater driver than any material ambition. Yes, I'd like to buy the wood next door someday, but my motivation to enlarge the amount of land I own knowing that under my stewardship, plants and wildlife will come to no harm. No felling, no clearing, no mowing, no pesticides, no herbicides; allowing nature to take its own course as far as possible. 

If I'd wish to engage in competition, it would indeed be a competition to know and to understand - not to display material goods for the admiration of others. But even this competition would be of the good-natured sort, its ultimate aim being the attainment of a higher level of understanding that through cooperation can be disseminated broadly through society.

This time last year:
To Rzeszów and back by rail, Pt. I

This time last year:
To Rzeszów and back by rail, Pt  I

This time two years ago:
Science, Religion, Magic and Consciousness

This time five years ago:
The house on the działka, coming on

This time six years ago:
Autumn comes early

This time seven years ago:
Kriegslok passes through Jeziorki

This time 11 years ago:
A little way west of Jeziorki

This time 12 years ago:
The Old Sailor's Tale - part II 

This time 13 years ago:
Prague-Jeziorki-Moscow

This time 14 years ago:
The passing of Lt. Cmdr. Tadeusz Lesisz 

This time 16 years ago:
Summer ends, autumn begins