/lit/ - Literature

>long term goals beyond having living a healthy enjoyable lifestyle, philosophical inquiry and friendship

Vanitas.

I live frugally on welfare which I consider infinitely superior to working yourself to the bone to get a lot of stuff.

One thing I love about consumerism is that welfare is determined by consumerist standards. So people on welfare get an amount of money that allows them to live a lower end consumerist lifestyle, which most people consider horrible and which a lot of people on welfare feel very unsatisfied with. If you don't live by consumerist standards however, you can live like a fucking king with that kind of money.

So from a personal point of view, consumerism as a cultural phenomenon has served me greatly.