When less is more
At a recent conference for headteachers of Britain’s top independent schools, its chairman, the Rev Tim Hastie-Smith, caused quite a stir. He told delegates that they had to help ‘challenge greed and selfishness’ and offer answers to ‘the passing fads of an X-Factor culture’.
I have long expressed my concerns about a growing consumer culture in which people’s lives are devoted to the acquisition of possessions. As prospective parents, we’re encouraged to prepare for the arrival of a baby not by thinking about what it means to be a parent, but by buying the items deemed necessary to create the perfect nursery. Consumer pressure doesn’t stop with the birth; it keeps pace with our growing children. There are new toys to acquire, as well as ‘must-have’ designer outfits and dream holidays. In short, shopping has become a major displacement activity, filling family leisure time and distracting parents from the reality of of life. It depletes parents’ time and energy - all of which could be better spent enjoying other family activities, such as a walk in the park or countryside, or playing together. Activities like these don’t come with a price tag and can help parents and children to really get to know each other.
Above all, I believe that a rampant consumer culture tends to ‘spoon feed’ parents and children, making decisions on what we need and when. In so doing, it discourages a sense of individual responsibility. Such a lack of responsibility among parents can create huge problems within our society as a whole.
When the Rev Hastie-Smith told the leaders of such establishments as Eton and Harrow that it was up to them to ‘shoulder responsibility for the future of society’, he implied that it was up to them to educate the parents of the future. But it is also the responsibility of the parents of today to encourage their children to grow up as independent people who care about the society in which we all live.
© Christine Meadows