Consumeristic Life-Style to Simple (Christian) Life-Style

The word life-style, it is said, is a consumeristic one. Now, a common usage of the word (life-style) has been made in the lives of the affluent and the poor alike. Therefore, it is fitting that we raise the question “what or how the life-style of the christians need to be?” The answer, needless to say, is ‘SIMPLE’.

Consumeristic life-style is firstly an affluent life-style. An affluent life-style in itself is not evil, but then, if evil means to maintain the status quo of affluent life-style is there, it is evil. This was the case with the affluent Israelite women of Amos’s time in the Old Testament. They urged their husbands to earn what they needed for their affluent life-style. The fact was that their affluence depended on legal oppression of the poor and they did not bother at all, this was evil. The truth remaining unchanging, affluent life-style dependent on oppression, exploitation, corruption and the like is evil.

Consumeristic life-style secondly is a greedy life-style. A christian life-style must be a generous life-style.

Consumeristic life-style thirdly is showy life-style. A showy life-style is not an educated life-style. Technological education in itself is not a wholesome education. The end of all knowledge is building up of character. So, wholesome education is not showy of one part of education.

Consumeristic life-style fourthly is prone to these diseases: Blood Pressure, Obesity, Heart Diseases, Impotence, Insomnia, Diabetes, Osteoporosis, Bronchitis and HIV/AIDS. What we eat, how we sleep and the way we respond to different situations have consequences on our health with the possibility of causing any of the above eight common life-style diseases excepting HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDS in turn also has life-style causes; intravenous drug injecting and free (promiscuous) sex or unsafe sex practice.

Christian life-style needless to say is simple life-style which again needs no explanation, except saying it is an acceptable, healthy and wholesome life-style. Therefore, the need to have a paradigm shift in understanding the word life-style which contributes towards fuller humanity.