Mei's invitation: a gentle asceticism for Chinese and Americans

In keeping with the theme of this volume, then, I propose that bike riding and bicycle repair can be considered one form of ascetic discipline: that is, a training of the body and mind for spiritual and community well-being. Shortly I will explain further what I mean by asceticism. In order to make sense of this proposal, though, I must first return to the problem with which I began: namely the way in which, today, the culture of consumerism presents an obstacle to sustainable community. As a way of unpacking this proposal, three terms must be defined: conscious consumption, creative frugality, and consumerism.

Consumption without Consumerism

Conscious consumption is the enjoyment of goods and services that are produced and consumed in environmentally benign ways; that free people from drudgery so that their lives can be easier; and that enrich the body and mind. The fruits of conscious consumption are good food, comfortable shelter, attractive clothing, quality health care, and enjoyable forms of recreation, made possible by satisfying jobs and quality education. Some of these fruits are necessary for survival and all contribute to happiness in life. It is a tragedy that too many in the world suffer from their absence: poverty, disease, unemployment, drudgery, and a sense of helplessness. The United Nations estimates that 1.2 billion people live on less than $1 a day and almost 3 billion on less than $2 a day. 110 million primary school age children are out of school; 31 million people are infected with HIV/AIDS. The poor people of our world do not need to consume less; they need to consume more. But the best hope for them is that they consume in healthy ways. We might call it creative frugality.

Creative frugality lies in taking care of material possessions, utilizing them rather than discarding them, and appreciating them. Such frugality involves a healthy respect for material things in life; indeed we might say that it is deeply materialistic. But its materialism is free rather than controlled by external factors, and it is frugal rather than greedy. In the English language the word "frugal" can mean stingy and un-generous, or, by contrast, it can mean careful and care-filled. Creative frugality is careful and care-filled. It does not involve escaping the material world for a more ethereal world, but rather celebrating the blessings of materiality. But it is not all stingy. People who consume in creatively frugal ways are often more generous than people who are absorbed in conspicuous consumption. But creative frugality has a joyful and reverential quality to it, because it actually appreciates the material dimensions of life and does not want to be wasteful.

Some examples may help. Imagine a man in rural China or rural America who owns a piece of furniture that he has made with his own hands: a well-made chair. He takes care of it, repairing it and making good use of it without needing to replace it with something new and improved. Perhaps he could buy a new chair, but he loves his old one. This man has a healthy respect for materiality. In his attitude toward the chair he exhibits creative frugality. He has a certain joy in being able to sit in the chair. Or imagine a woman who shops at a local market to buy freshly grown vegetables. She scrutinizes the vegetables to make sure that they look healthy and then pays for them. Her very scrutiny is an example of conscious consumption and creative frugality. She cares about the food she eats. Then imagine that she goes home and prepares a meal for dinner and has friends over to enjoy it. She takes her time in preparing the food and then, when the guests arrive, they share the meal, slowly and carefully. As they eat together and enjoy the meal without hurry, they, too, exemplify conscious consumption. This kind of consumption is very different from the kind of consumption of food in an average American household or in a fast-food restaurant. It is not hurried and restless. It is creative rather than compulsive, deliberate rather than hurried. It is not wasteful, and it exemplifies the spirit of conscious consumption and creative frugality. This woman, too, exemplifies creative frugality.