Wow this is haunting to read. I’m also very fascinated by consumption in all its forms. It seems almost impossible to avoid consumption in spaces today and I’m not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing
This was so interesting. You highlighted the dicotomy of having the cake and eating it in ways I've never thought before... and I really like your style of writing. The added citations were so spot-on and helped convey your thought-not dilute it.
I loved this. Funnily enough, I wrote a poem yesterday focusing on gluttony and the all-consuming nature of our society. It’s like channeling the same spirit through inverted lenses, maybe it’s the energy of the season. I visualize this concept as the snake eating its own tail.
The ouroboros is an important concept for my Substack and myself personally — I wear two ouroboros rings! The ancient meaning is a positive one, it’s all about the sustainability of the life-death/creation-destruction cycle. The consumption metaphor could be a positive one in a society that is not alienated from the creation and destruction of all its “goods”… If we grew our own food, we would eat it and then use waste products to fertilize the soil to grow more food (Marx called this man’s “metabolic” relationship with nature); if we made our own clothes, when they unravel we would reuse the yarn… I imagine gluttony and “overconsumption” simply didn’t exist in pre-metabolic rift societies.
Thank you for reading and thank you for the food for thought :)
Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I believe in the ideas of karma and reincarnation, which are also often represented by the ouroboros. An important symbol indeed. Over-consumption, viewed from a philosophical perspective and taken to the extreme, ends with "consuming ourselves" (which our society does already through social media, where we are the product). The concept of gluttony, as interpreted by Dante, was a never-ending, never fulfilled, hunger and selfishness. These people are "empty", which would bring us back to your original idea of wasting away from making ourselves "food" for others.
Wow this is haunting to read. I’m also very fascinated by consumption in all its forms. It seems almost impossible to avoid consumption in spaces today and I’m not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing
This was so interesting. You highlighted the dicotomy of having the cake and eating it in ways I've never thought before... and I really like your style of writing. The added citations were so spot-on and helped convey your thought-not dilute it.
Thank you Isabel! This made my day
The right questions arise when I read this.
This is amazing! You have a way with tying together related details while flowing well
For some reason, I've never considered the dichotomy of 'consumption' before. This is so interesting
Very insightful read, thank you for writing. All of the source materials seem like compelling reading, must look them up.
This is fantastic! Saved it to go through your source material myself. Thanks!
Thank you for articulating this! I was having a conversation about just this the other day with my sister.
I loved this. Funnily enough, I wrote a poem yesterday focusing on gluttony and the all-consuming nature of our society. It’s like channeling the same spirit through inverted lenses, maybe it’s the energy of the season. I visualize this concept as the snake eating its own tail.
The ouroboros is an important concept for my Substack and myself personally — I wear two ouroboros rings! The ancient meaning is a positive one, it’s all about the sustainability of the life-death/creation-destruction cycle. The consumption metaphor could be a positive one in a society that is not alienated from the creation and destruction of all its “goods”… If we grew our own food, we would eat it and then use waste products to fertilize the soil to grow more food (Marx called this man’s “metabolic” relationship with nature); if we made our own clothes, when they unravel we would reuse the yarn… I imagine gluttony and “overconsumption” simply didn’t exist in pre-metabolic rift societies.
Thank you for reading and thank you for the food for thought :)
Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I believe in the ideas of karma and reincarnation, which are also often represented by the ouroboros. An important symbol indeed. Over-consumption, viewed from a philosophical perspective and taken to the extreme, ends with "consuming ourselves" (which our society does already through social media, where we are the product). The concept of gluttony, as interpreted by Dante, was a never-ending, never fulfilled, hunger and selfishness. These people are "empty", which would bring us back to your original idea of wasting away from making ourselves "food" for others.
Very interesting read! Loved it!
Thank you Chris!