I buy, therefore I am

~ Purpleanais

image

If I had this
If I had that
I would be something
I would be someone
Without things I don’t exist
Nobody looks at me
I blend in, disappear
Have no place in society

I am envious of what others have
I lay at night thinking of
what I don’t yet possess
Ownership is happiness
Shops are my temples
I pray at the altar of materialism

Things give me an identity
Validate me
It’s an absolute fact,
a truth
It’s in the magazines and on TV
if you don’t believe me

I worship things 
They fill the gaping hole inside me
My adage is:
I buy, I own, therefore I am
Philosophers mean nothing to me
All I know about is price and money

Jewellery, car, scent, designer anything, tattoo
House in the right neighbourhood
iPhone, iPad, MacBook,
constantly replaced,
Kept up to date
Last season? Failure, loser.

I need the image
Image is everything
I buy to be someone
Without status I am nothing
I own things and
I am unable to see
The reality is
The Things own me
image

Image credit: Steve Cutts

56 thoughts on “I buy, therefore I am”

      1. I have said the same in conversations with friends about things I’ve said not written, like I thought it was so simple but I think it seems simple to those of us who get it. It still needs to be said because sadly, there are many that just don’t get it. Not to say we are better or smarter, we just “see” it. Still a great and much needed post.

        Liked by 1 person

  2. I love this so much. Rampant materialism will swallow society one day, if it hadn’t yet. This poem is so true, and a little sad. But there’s hope for humanity. I really hope so.

    Thanks for sharing. Enjoyed the read. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you for reading and for your thoughts 🙂
      I also think there’s hope for humanity… rampant materialism cannot possibly keep on for much longer, it’s just not sustainable.

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      Reply

    1. Thank you, no we can’t take any of it with us but there’s a big difference between enjoying your money and living solely to buy, especially if material possessions is the “validation” that you crave 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  17. The things own me, what a chilling last line. It is terrible that people feel the need to consume and hoard to feel something. I’ve never seen the point in it myself, although buying a horde of books for a small sum from a second hand bookshop is something that I do feel the need to do a few times a year. They do grow me as a person though and that is my excuse and I’m sticking to it!

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    Reply

    1. Your excuse isn’t an excuse, books are exempt from this crazy nonsense buying 🙂
      Books aren’t bought for status, are they? They are a completely different thing altogether, and I shall carry on, like you, piling them up in my house until I run out of space…which will be soon if I’m honest 😉

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      1. Time for an extension to be built, or we could club together and buy a castle! I once heard of a guy who picked up Voltaire’s Candide to read in cafés just to appear intellectual and really enjoyed it but you are right books are so much more than they first appear, they are magical.

        Liked by 1 person

  20. I dare say it’s one of the best posts I’ve read that you’ve written. It either shows I don’t read enough of your posts or that I can completely relate to the post. Somehow I think both might apply… You have a gift x

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  21. i can’t figure out how to start a dm to you..so i’ll say it back here where you can erase…i’m going to start renting condo by week probably april like 1000.00 a week .. you would need 2 weeks or a month for your time zone difference. i would rent it for a lot less for april.

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