We also become spiritually poorer. Consumerism encourages us to define freedom as a choice between brands. It asks us to express who we are through the language of products, while at the same time shaping our ideals of what it is important to own. The good life becomes a matter of satisfying consumer desires to the detriment of alternatives like spending time with our families, enjoying our work or living ethically. Our values become material values. This is a historical legacy that few of us have escaped and none of us can ignore.
