Pitch Black Friday
Trigger warning: I cannot rule out that you will feel extremely sad, fearful or angry while reading this article. This may come along with perhaps downright uncomfortable physical sensations. I ask you to feel it all and to stay with me until the end. I will end this article with possibilities on how to make a change, how to make a difference and all the feelings you’ll feel while reading will be your biggest allies for that.
In about two weeks it’s that dark day of the year again… Black Friday. If one thing is actually well chosen about this whole “black friday” mania, it is the name. Because it is indeed literally a dark and pitch black day if you ask me. In this article I will explain why I think black friday (as well its younger sister cyber monday) is such a pitch-black day.
A few days ago, unfortunately I was confronted with the first “Black Friday” announcement that caught my attention. It was an advert of probably one of the biggest “winners” of this buying madness in the country I live in. It makes me so sad that somewhere around 2015 this black day came over from the US. I remember watching videos in vicarious shame where people are falling, literally walking over and hurting each other to make sure that they get that latest “must have”.
I feel immense sadness as well as anger about the huge negative impact of this black day on our beautiful earth, who is already so burdened by the way we treat her as humanity. What I share beneath is anything but a complete or exhaustive list of consequences and is not intended to be such. I also don’t know the exact and most recent figures, but this is not necessary to bring across what I think is a sad reality. Here it is:
- the CO2 emissions in the week before this black day are more than 90% higher than in another week, due to the number of trucks needed to transport all the “must-have- rubbish” to the stores.
- the production, packaging and shipping of all the stuff that is sold against huge discounts also contributes to big increase of the already rising emissions
- it seems that around 80% of the products that are bought on this black day end up on the dumping ground after being used only a few times or even without ever being used
- due to the greater need for (cheap and non-sustainable) products on and around this black day, automatically more raw materials are needed. This contributes to amongst others deforestation and damaging the earth for plastic raw materials. Not to mention the exploitation of people, also children(!), for the sake of producing all these cheap and unsustainable products.
I feel anger about big retailers making big profits on this day. Without this black day, there is already more than enough consumerism and these companies should be ashamed of themselves for encouraging it even further. I feel anger that these companies use their sophisticated, seductive campaigns to make people believe that their product is exactly what is missing in their lives. That they contribute to maintaining the idea that the (unconsciously) felt emptiness is something that can be filled with buying or having things.
How can it be that this day (still) exists?! That such an earth-destroying day is accepted and that people participate in it while its devastating effect is so obvious? I think this is directly related to this emptiness I just mentioned. An emptiness that actually can not be filled by things from outside. This is an emptiness that demands actual saturation, which can be found through connecting to our physical and emotional body. By connecting to the sensations in our physical body and by feeling feelings & emotions that are present in our emotional body.
This is exactly what is lacking for a lot of us: we live our lives from the head, our mental body and disconnected from our physical and emotional bodies. When people awaken themselves to these abandoned bodies, to their so-called felt-sense experience, this void can be saturated sustainably. It then can be saturated with the true aliveness of and connection with one’s inner nature. Which in turn will be a gateway into a deeper connection with and care for our outer nature, for Gaia and all its fellow inhabitants.
I believe that when this connection would be experienced by more people, there wouldn’t be many people anymore that want to be part of a culture that is exhausting the earth. People would no longer want to have anything to do with initiatives like Black Friday. To be clear: I realize that the dramatic and worrying state of the earth will not be solved only by banning this black day. Yet banning it would be a fantastic start and opportunity to send an anti-(over)consumption signal. To make people aware of the state of our earth and wake them up to each and everyone’s responsibility for their part of making a change.
At the same time, I realize that expecting any action in this direction from the biggest and most polluting companies or from our governments will only lead to further disappointment and frustration. Simply because the people who are in charge of these institutions are not willing to put their own interests aside for the prosperity of the greater whole and for Gaia. That is the sad reality of our patriarchal “modern” culture.
Yet I refuse to accept the thought that nothing can be changed, that I am powerless. I have influence, I am powerful! Just as YOU have influence and are powerful. The influence you and I have is to use our sadness, our fear and our anger to lead by example. To do anything that is within our personal reach, within our circle of influence. Possibilities to exert this influence are for example:
- Share your sadness, your fear and your anger about this black day, the heartbreaking condition of mother nature and how this is related with as many people as possible
- “Vote” with how you spend your money! Don’t spend money on black friday or cyber monday offers and preferably not at all at shops & stores that join this initiative. Also not or as little as possible at times outside these black days
- Especially on black friday and cyber monday, but also in general, buy from small and preferably local stores if you really need to buy something new
- Instead of buying something on black friday or cyber monday, look through your stuff and gather everything that you didn’t use or wear for some time. Either sell it or donate it to a thrift store.
- Instead of contributing to the selfish and non-reciprocal taking of Gaia’s resources, give back to her on this black day in whatever way resonates with you. For example go into nature and collect litter, tend to your (vegetable) garden with extra care or create a gratitude ceremony in which you make an offering to Gaia as a sign of gratitude
- Support against (re)actions organized against black friday, for example:
* “Green Friday” of Trees for all (https://greenfriday.nl/)
* “Giving Tuesday” (https://www.givingtuesday.org/)
* “Buy nothing day” (http://www.buynothingday.co.uk/)
- If you’re a retailer only offer your products for sale for an extra contribution on black friday and cyber monday. Decide what initiative or action that gives back to Gaia or to the (human) beings who pay the actual price of consumption, you will donate this contribution to. Another option is to not sell anything at all on these black days, as a way to take a stand.
Are you on my team in making a difference, in making a change? I would love to hear from you how you will make a difference within your circle of influence as a counterpoint to these dark days, please share it with me.
With anger, sadness, fear and love,
Irene
Sources I used for writing this article:
