2024-09-21
In modern society, we consume a wide variety of content every day: information, products, and creative works. This behavior is simply part of life, yet it can also be called an act of facing our inner desires.
Since the start of this year, having received something like a revelation telling me to "know human beings," I have been spending more of my time than ever on consumption. Outside of work, I concentrate on reading books and appreciating works, and I simply enjoy them.
I have been reading books ever since university, when my commute was so long and so boring that I started. What interests me is why I now find such enjoyment in consuming works I once felt were a waste.
I used to regard entertainment such as games and anime as a mere waste of time. I got rid of all my consoles and games and banned myself from gaming until the age of 80. Because I have a bad habit of playing without eating or drinking once I get hooked, I still don't play games. I don't watch as much anime as I used to, either.
But now I have begun to think that these acts of consumption answer an inner "question" — a question one carries inside and wants answered.
Coming across consumption that satisfies no one but yourself is, in fact, a happy thing. Whether it is a waste or not is known not by someone outside but by your own heart. If a form of consumption is meaningful to you, that alone gives it enough value.
Conversely, if a form of consumption answers no question and isn't even enjoyable, that just means it doesn't suit you, and I would simply dismiss it as "boring." There is no need to force it into being "good consumption."
When I started watching K-On! and Angel Beats! as an elementary school student, anime was still just a niche otaku culture. It was an era when people held back from openly saying they liked anime.
Now it has become a globally recognized subculture, and my own interest has deepened. As a student, I watched anime only because it was fun, without sensing any particular deeper significance. But now the hundreds of anime I have already watched come back to life from a different perspective, so much so that I begrudge the time spent sleeping.
Perhaps this change comes from the nature of "consumption answering questions."
People tend to think that questions arise from the act of consumption itself, because works carry their creators' intentions. But what actually produces the question is not the work but ourselves. We are free to receive it however we like, and we can interpret a work according to our own questions.
Works provide us with material, but it is our role to think about it deeply and to pose questions from new perspectives.
With the spread of the internet, we gained access to vast amounts of information and products, and consumption became easy. At the same time, the traps of consumption — being easily swept away by stimulating content — have multiplied. Whether latent or explicit, not holding "questions" in daily life means allowing ourselves to be passively carried along by information and simply consume it.
To consume actively, we must remain constantly sensitive to our own inner questions.
Consumption is the act of obtaining something, and it happens unconsciously in our lives. But if we see consumption not as a mere act but as a means of answering questions, an entirely different world opens up. When we consume something, we are not only seeking material satisfaction; rather, it is an action that answers the "questions" within us — our interests, our curiosity, our desire to understand ourselves.
Take reading, for example. Reading is not mere intake of information; it changes greatly depending on the reader's experience, knowledge, and interests at the time. A reader with a deep interest in a certain theme can gain profound insight from a particular work, and that work brings new perspectives and discoveries. Conversely, if you read the same book without a question, it is nothing but a string of characters, and you cannot grasp its essence. It is precisely because we have questions that we can draw value from what we consume. Until I entered university, I had no interest in books and could hardly read them, because they looked like nothing more than strings of characters.
This applies not only to cultural consumption such as reading or watching films, but also to everyday shopping and the consumption of products. For instance, even with food you eat without much thought, asking questions about its background and how it is made can give rise to deeper understanding and attachment. When I learned that a dish I ate regularly was actually a local specialty of my hometown, I suddenly grew fond of it and even went to visit the factory.
On the other hand, consumption without questions can become a mere waste of time. Like idly scrolling through TikTok videos without thinking, if it doesn't prompt deep thought or reflection, consumption is only a fleeting stimulus to the eyes and ears. In junior high school I consumed a lot of anime, but most of it was just to kill time or because it was fun, and because I held no deep questions, I gained nothing from it.
Even so, I can't deny the form of consumption that is simply enjoyment. Being able to give your heart to something you love and simply enjoy it is also the essence of consumption. Finding such a wonderful pastime is a rare stroke of luck.
Consuming actively with a question gives you new perspectives. A perspective is a lens for seeing things from different angles, and through it the object of consumption comes to mean more than mere information.
In the end, consumption is an act of answering questions, and it brings richness to our daily lives. What we usually think about and consume could be said to shape who we are. Just as what we eat makes our bodies, what we consume forms our thinking and values.
That is exactly why consuming well is difficult. People who are good at spending money clearly hold a "question" about what they are seeking and looking for. People who are bad at it probably find it hard to pose the "question" of what they truly want. If you consume vaguely, just going with the flow, you may gain momentary satisfaction or value, but it won't lead to peace of mind or fulfillment.
Looking back, as a child I unconsciously knew my own desires well. I could have fun without expensive things. Perhaps my desires were simple and I had no need to pose unnecessary questions. As we grow up, our options multiply and we turn our eyes to material abundance. In exchange, we forget how to make do creatively within limits and how to enjoy things without purpose, and it becomes harder to see what we truly seek.
Choosing what we really need from countless options requires courage and resolve. What to choose, and what to let go — that determines how we shape ourselves.
Consumption is a mirror that reflects ourselves.