The High Price of Materialism

Alongside 'Psychology and Consumer Culture' and his work on Common Cause, Tim Kasser's 2002 book The High Price of Materialism has had a powerful impact on the sustainability movement. The Center for a new American dream has just released this five minute summary of Kasser's work; it is a great starting point for getting people interested in this most important debate:

Action for Happiness

Action for Happiness launched today. So far I like it.

Find out more via their website.

Follow them on Twitter

If you're not the sort of person who does all the things listed below, you probably don't read this blog. But, just in case, try one or two. I'm off out now and will try to do number 10.

Russell Brand on Consumerism

Just in case you've missed this. Follow this link to see an interview by Jeremy Paxman with Russell Brand. Some very interesting insights into celebrity status, consumerism and happiness. A documentary directed by Oliver Stone is apparently imminent too in which Brand goes to India to ask the big questions about happiness. Could be interesting stuff.

I've got a lot of time for Russell Brand, he's thoughtful, intelligent and not afraid to shake things up a bit; he looks set to change the direction of his career in quite a significant way.

LEEF Event

WHAT DO WE WANT OUR CHILDREN TO GROW UP TO BE

Event type:

Residential

Event dates:

26/04/2010 to 28/02/2010

Location:

Paddington Farm Trust

Price:

£120 LEEF members, £160 others

How are we going to help our children to have fulfilling and meaningful lives, characterised by generosity, intelligence, community spirit, stable levels of self-esteem and maturity? Join us at Paddington Farm for a weekend of relaxed and informal discussions on what learning and education for sustainability can actually include and go away with fresh activities, ideas and inspiration for your groups and classes. Paddington Farm is a beautiful 43 acre organic small holding in Glastonbury, Somerset with a mission to improve the quality of life and well-being for community groups and families from urban areas by enabling access to the countryside.
Course Trainers: Dr. Morgan Phillips writer of blog “Becoming Green” and co-ordinator of “Global Footsteps” and Paddington Farm Trust for “Forest Survival” and “Farm tours”.

Programme:
Friday after work – Londoners: meet at Paddington Station for brief activity. Take train to Somerset.
Dinner – Followed by introduction to the course and Paddington Farm.
Evening – Discussion of the Cambridge report.
Saturday morning – Workshop: School, The Media, Friends and Family – Where children learn from and what it means.
Lunch – Followed by ‘Forest Survival’ workshop.
Afternoon – Workshop: Ways to Wellbeing – ‘Books for Children’ and ‘The Happiness Wall’.
Dinner – Followed by conversations round the fire.
Sunday morning – What would we like to be?
Mid day – Departure to be back in London by 3:00pm

Course suitable for: environmental educators, play workers, parents, teachers, people who are interested in young people and the environment.
Please bring: Outdoor clothing, towels, pajamas, toiletries, and your own favourite treats to share. (e.g. a bottle of wine or some chocolates)

Contact Details

Contact name: Anna Portch
Contact telephone: 07891 837 120
Contact email: aportch@wildlondon.org.uk

Event Registration

Note: LEEF members are entitled to a discounted price of £120 for this event. If you are a LEEF member you'll need to login to take advantage of this discount. If not, the price will be £160.

Alain de Botton's Six-Part Series on Philosophy: A Guide to Happiness

Just wanted to create a link to an excellent Six Part series on Philosophy by Alain de Botton. each programme is about 20 mins long and looks at several big emotions like 'happiness', 'anger' and 'love'. Each programme filled me with ideas for workshops critiquing consumerism, materialism, affluenza and so on. My fave thing to do would be to create a 'Diogenes Happiness Wall' (see Epicurus on Happiness) I'm hopefully going to give it a go at a forthcoming LEEF event I'm planning!

Thanks to John Graham-Cumming for posting the links in one place: http://tinyurl.com/yj8wzxm

FLOW

Here is a video of a guy called Mihaly Csikzentmihalyi, he is a psychologist who wrote a very good book about happiness and where it comes from called FLOW. It is quite a long and arduous book to read although it does have some fantastic passages. I have also read a chapter by him in a book called 'Psychology and Consumer Culture' which is a really good introduction to 'flow'. The best bit in this clip comes after about 2.30 mins when he says: ‘Young people get commercialised visions of the good life through athletes, rock stars, models etc...50% of young people expect to be [famous] and they think that is the route towards the ‘good life’' For more on flow and what it is click here

Happiness is....

Surely this sign should read: 'Unhappiness? try a Therapy' Neal's Yard Remedies are selling remedies for unhappiness, they are selling short term happiness, happiness as a feeling, which allows us to temporarily escape from life's bigger problems.

That's fine, but it is a sad state of affairs. Stepping back out onto the busy pavement with your bag full of therapy and your reciept for a 'holisitic massage' weighing you down is just like when you get home after a shopping spree, an exotic holiday, or a big night out on the tiles, a sudden realisation hits you that, 'shit, all those problems are still there just waiting for me.'

Treat yourself: Get off the hedonic treadmill, find wellbeing through well doing!