#anti-materialism

#anti-materialism

Anna Holmes defines 'hype aversion' as a reflex against being told what to like, suggesting that popularity can create pressure rather than signal quality. This feeling can lead to a deliberate choice to resist mainstream culture.

The convenience of sourcing online is fraught with more pitfalls than most of us want to admit. Try finding adequate photos of a vintage piece's condition-close-ups of the fabric, video of damaged areas, any images of a piece's rear or underside!

Thoreau responded to the technological upheavals and social strife of the mid-1800s by choosing to temporarily step away from the everyday turbulence of that time to live more simply, thoughtfully, and purposefully.

I was stealing other people's definitions of happiness and trying to make them fit my life. I'd walk past neighbors' houses at night, see their living rooms lit up through the windows, and think that's what I was missing.

The widespread practice of showing the Eid Al Adha slaughtering to children can desensitize them to violence, as many families take pride in this tradition.

Households are pledging not to buy anything new in 2026 - not just in the kitchen space. This movement, aimed toward curbing consumerism, stems from multiple causes, including the rising prices of products (and living, more broadly) and the desire to cut back on impulse spending, reduce waste, and challenge the notion that new products are superior to used.

"When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you." This African proverb encapsulates the essence of overcoming internal fears to achieve personal goals.

But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. It was bracing language for an 8-year-old. Not only was I unclean, but even my best attempt at goodness was filthy.

All of us live in an age where we're bombarded by social media and artificial intelligence - when striving to be your authentic self becomes an increasingly difficult task. Yet, even if it has somehow become a common goal, it is unclear how many of us can truly define the "authenticity" that we say we are pursuing.

As Sierra shared in her video, an analog bag is simply a tote filled with your favorite tactile activities - such as crosswords, novels, journals, or knitting tools - to keep you from reaching for your phone. When I began curating mine, I thought about activities I liked and went from there. Since I primarily work from my apartment, my goal was to create an analog bag that would help me decompress at home after a long day on my computer and phone.

I used to save my favorite clothes for a version of my life that never showed up. The blazer stayed in my closet because it felt "too professional" for a normal day. The heels were waiting for a dinner I'd yet to be invited to. The earrings were longing for an occasion that felt important enough to justify wearing them. Meanwhile, I wore the same outfits on repeat - to work, to run errands, to all the places where my actual life was happening.

The word umwelt comes from biology, coined by ethologists studying animals in their natural habitats. It refers to the world as an organism can perceive it, based entirely on its sensory equipment. A bat's umwelt is built from echo. A dog's from scent. A tick's world is dominated by a single chemical cue that tells it when to drop from a branch onto a passing mammal.

This APA Blog series has broadly explored philosophy and technology with a throughline on the influence of technology and AI on well-being. This month's post brings those themes into focus recounting a vital Washington Post Opinion piece by friend of the APA Blog, Samuel Kimbriel. Samuel is the founding director of the Aspen Institute's Philosophy and Society Initiative and Editor at Large for Wisdom of Crowds. We collaborated on a Substack Newsletter about intellectual ambition, building on his essay, Thinking is Risky.

The simple feeling of being is the fundamental basis of every momentary perception. What's happening right now is the only starting point there could ever be. The simple feeling of being is without border or boundary. The simple feeling of being is inescapable. It is not something that needs to be created or generated or sustained or practiced. It is what is here already.