The Advantages of Balanced Consumption
Along with the transition to balanced consumption under the umbrella of the mutual guarantee, the numerous problems resulting from excessive consumption elaborated earlier will be solved. Additionally, we will discover the advantages of mutual guarantee:
1) Improved Health
Most of the food products we currently see on commercials do not contribute to our health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) [61], in 1980, 1.5 billion adults suffered from overweight. By 2010, that number had doubled. Also, nearly 43 million children worldwide suffer from obesity, now ranked fifth in the list of fatal illnesses.
A group of British psychologists examined 281 children ages 6-13 [62], showing them a commercial for a toy and a commercial for a certain food product. Then they asked the children to name their favorite foods. The majority of the children chose foods that contained more fats and carbohydrates after watching the commercial for food than after watching the commercial for a toy.
The American Academy of Pediatrics published a Policy Statement [63] in regard to watching TV and obesity among children and youths. The pediatricians call for a ban on commercials for fast food on child-oriented TV programs.
2) Improving the Ecological Situation and the State of Natural Resources
Reducing the consumption and production of redundant products will contribute to a significant improvement in our environment by reducing air and water pollution and reducing the amount of waste and exploitation of natural resources and energy.
We tend to treat gas, oil, coal, and other resources as if they will always be here. But will we be able to use these resources without any accountability in the future? According to data from www.worldometers.info, at the current rate of consumption we will be completely out of oil by approximately 2050, assuming we don’t increase our consumption of it even more than today!
By shifting to balanced consumption, we will be able to maintain a decent lifestyle, our industrial activity will return to its natural size, and we will stop producing needless products. When that happens, we will have achieved balance and harmony, first among ourselves and then between the Earth and us. Mutual guarantee as an economic treaty, therefore, carries significant benefits to the human race, both as a solution to the world crisis and as a springboard to head off the escalating ecological crisis.
3) Lowering the Cost of Living
Advertising takes up a substantial part of the cost of a product. Returning to balanced consumption will reduce the demand for many products and brands. Consequently, some of them will disappear and others will become more affordable. The advertising industry will shrink to its natural size, and if we use advertising and environmental influences wisely, we will be able to reduce the cost of products significantly.
Also, in an environment of mutual guarantee, producers and importers will accept a more reasonable profit margin and will no longer seek to profit at the expense of consumers. Accordingly, the prices of products and services will decline to just above their production cost.
Incidentally, there is no need to worry about the advertising industry. It will serve as a key means to convey educational messages and to build a supportive environment for the value of mutual guarantee.
4) More Leisure
Once we stop pursuing unrestrained consumption, we will be able to shorten our workday and make time for what really matters: our family and social connections, learning various life skills, and generally enjoying our lives. The environment that we will design through the media will explain to us how to live, raise children, and function in the new world in a way that realizes the personal and social potential within each of us.
5) Improved Family Ties
When we have more free time, we will be able to dedicate more time to being with family and friends, rather than working 10-12 hours a day. Additionally, the change of values in society will prevent frequent arguments with children who demand we buy them more new brands that they see in commercials or in the hands of their friends.
[61] “Obesity and overweight, Fact Sheet no. 311, World Health Organization, updated March 2011, http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/
[62] Emma J. Boyland, PhD, Joanne A. Harrold, PhD, Tim C. Kirkham, PhD, Catherine Corker, BSc, Jenna Cuddy, Sca, Deborah Evans, BSc, Terence M. Dovey, PhD, Clare L. Lawton, PhD, John E. Blundell, PhD, and Jason C. G. Halford, PhD, “Food Commercials Increase Preference for Energy-Dense Foods, Particularly in Children Who Watch More Television,” Pediatrics (March 9, 2011), http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/128/1/e93
[63] “Policy Statement—Children, Adolescents, Obesity, and the Media, Pediatrics 2011;128;201; originally published online June 27, 2011; DOI: 10.1542/peds.2011-1066, now available at http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/128/1/201.full.html