Jotting #6 - Conflict in Consumerism

Prompting: Try, in De Montaigne's sense of the word, any current issue (the war in iraq, using cell phones in cars, or genetic engineering, for examples) Suspend Judgment and ask "what do I know?" Play around, and take all sides.

My response: It is all to easy for me to disregard challenges and take the easy way out of situations. There are numerous head and heart challenges that I am presented with but rarely do I take on these challenges. More often than not I find myself justifying my thoughts and my apathy towards the subject. However as Harris states “Critical reflection is an essential component of being a morally responsible person.” As a result of the glaring truth of this statement it is with some hesitancy that I approach the issue of consumerism.
In reading Harris I find that the issue of consumerism, in my mind, is a conflict problem. In this situation there are “two or more relevant moral demands, both of which cannot be complied within a particular situation.”
I would like to write consumerism off as a terrible thing and something that should be frowned upon. However, the fact of the matter is that we must consume, I know this. If everyone for all of time live conservative lifestyles never pushing for more than we would have never progressed into the modern age. The effects of consumerism stimulate economies. A stimulated economy can in turn result in advancements in science and technology.
Though consumerism can cause positive results it must not go unchecked. Those who live well beyond there means are leaving, among other things, an ecological footprint that may not be able to be reversed. On the other hand it is not easy to say to that person what their specific “means” are.
The question can not be answered simply. This fact was brought up by Harris when he states that sometimes we need to “find a middle way that appeals to both sides”. The “middle way”, as he calls it, is not always agreed upon. The middle way for some is much better off than the middle way for others. The development of a universal “middle way” in turns of consumerism may never be achieved due to the mentality that “if I can and want to, I will”. The power that money makes people feel can be a powerful thing, be it for good or bad.