Ghenwah Jabouri
Al Watan staff
KUWAIT: The state of Kuwait has been blessed with natural resources that have allowed for society to live in a relative state of affluence. Driving down the highway on any random day, one glimpses numerous sports cars and luxury vehicles that most people living in other countries around the world could only dream of owning. Most would argue that such affluence simply improves one''s standard of living and life style. Who wouldn''t want to look their best, be dressed in Armani suits and Christian Dior sunglasses, drive an expensive sports car and be a member at an elite health club? However one sometimes suspects that these luxuries have also become a distraction and that we are beginning to lose sight of what is truly important.
Investigating this issue Al Watan Daily took to the streets and spoke to Kuwaitis about materialism and whether the luxury products they purchase are items that they feel they need and they can afford, or whether they spend money on such items simply to impress others.
Entesar, a single Kuwaiti woman in her early forties, explained that once one gets used to a certain lifestyle it is hard to reprioritize, even if one cannot afford to maintain the same standard of living. "I retired from my job with the government about five years ago and therefore my salary is not as large as it used to be. Even though I struggle to make ends meet, I cannot let go of certain things. My friends are still working and so they make more money than I do and we go out every Wednesday for lunch and every Monday for dinner. They choose the most expensive restaurants to dine in and I tag along even though the bulky receipt is something I cannot afford. I still choose to join them. In the end I manage, but I borrow money from my family or I live for the remainder of the month without money in my pocket," she said.
"It''s all about image and maintaining a certain lifestyle. Over the years this is how society has developed and it''s hard to change it. I have taken a hefty loan from the bank which is going to take me fifteen years to pay off. I intend to take another loan from the bank so that I can travel soon. Unfortunately, we (Kuwaitis) are constantly competing with each other over materialistic things; who is able to travel to Europe, who can drive the coolest car and so on," she added.
However, according to Entesar, this constant race for the bigger, the better and the most expensive has had a toll on society and the constant pressure to maintain a certain lifestyle has increased as the cost of living continues to soar. "The economical situation in Kuwait has changed. Life is becoming too demanding with all the prices soaring and the rich getting richer while the average Kuwaiti is isolated from finding better financial opportunities. And so we end up taking loans from the bank so that we can do the things that we are socially habituated to," she explained.
OmـDhari, a Kuwaiti business woman who enjoys a certain lifestyle, explained to Al Watan Daily that Kuwaitis do not perceive themselves as being materialistic but rather as being able to afford to live a luxurious life. "Kuwait is an oilـrich country, we are a wealthy society and there is no harm in indulging in expensive commodities. I earn good money, why shouldn''t I buy Chanel sunglasses, and a Louis Vuitton bag? If you can afford it than why not. We only get one chance in this life, no one has the right to stop us from buying what we can afford," she stated.
"However, I disagree with those who cannot afford to live luxuriously but endeavor to do so. This is where superficiality comes in. If you can''t afford to drive a Jaguar, then don''t drive a Jaguar. I''ve seen people who would rather borrow money from the bank to drive a Jaguar than pay cash for a Toyota Camry for example. This is wrong and many people are doing it. This is why we have been branded by some as being a superficial society. It''s a difficult and complicated topic though, some Kuwaitis have it all while some don''t and Kuwaitis who are not financially capable feel that it is not just for them to not be able to live like those who are financially privileged. The competition has grown vastly in Kuwait, and when someone in a neighborhood purchases a Rolex watch, the rest of the neighborhood will go and buy one just to satisfy their pride and send a public message that no is better than any one else," she added.
Sara is a university student who argued that it will take a great deal of discipline for society to change its ways and avoid the pitfalls of superficiality and materialism. "This is a delicate topic and I''m sure people are not going to admit that they are superficial even if they are," she said. "Most Kuwaitis can be superficial and sometimes even narcissistic, because we have everything and we seldom struggle financially in the way that other societies must. We were born into this world in which domestic workers prepare our food, iron our clothes, make our bed and so on. An eighteenـyearـold teenager may drive a Ferrari and have seen half of Europe before he has even turned twenty," she added.
"Of course I have no right to accuse anyone of vanity but the truth is that even a Kuwaiti who is not financially privileged has grown up with at least one maid attending to his or her needs. I believe that compassion and tolerance can only be learnt through suffering; by struggling to pay the rent at the end of the month, working hard all year around with humility, standing in the kitchen for hours to prepare food for your family and so on. These are the things that help humans feel gratitude for what they have and that stop feelings of superiority and dominance from taking charge of our lives," Sara stressed.
"As a society we have become too consumed with expensive commodities such as driving the latest cars and dressing up in designer clothing. We are taking for granted what God has bestowed on us and we seem to think that we are invincible. Life does not only revolve around going to elite health clubs and dressing up in expensive clothes. We decorate our lives with beautiful cars, furniture, clothes, sophisticated devices and so on, but we have forgotten that these things are just temporary and that once they are outdated they are thrown into the trash. It is only real happiness that last a lifetime and this can only be felt when one gives and not when one takes," Sara concluded.
Dr. Heyam Mohammed, an educationalist, also discussed this topic with Al Watan Daily. "The new Kuwaiti generation has learned to be superficial, very shallow, and careless... They have learned to take not to give; they want to show off, they never think about the consequence of anything," he explained, adding: "We all should know that I do not mean all Kuwaitis in Kuwait!"
Labeed Abdal, an attorney and human rights activist argued that the government and the media are partly to blame for this problem. "The matter can be related to culture and it is essential for families to play a greater role in minimizing these habits. Happiness in life is not related to consuming unnecessary things and being a weak target for giant companies and strong advertisers... The educational system must also increase its efforts to promoting awareness and establish more self confidence through a well organized and balanced syllabus that gives students the right values. There should be a greater effort from the government to protect society from these social diseases by establishing very specialized bodies that work to strike a balance between companies'' rights to advertise and solving the problem of consumerism. The waves of shallowness are high and we must all stand tall to over come this by being more realistic and responsible," Abdal concluded.
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