We could do better

The music fills the bar with a full sound without being intrusive. The sound carriers are records. The record player, amplifier and speakers date back to the 1970s. Naturally, this ensemble attracts a lot of attention. The uninitiated might assume that this is a gimmick designed primarily to enhance the image. However, there is an enormous qualitative difference to the music that we listen to so often today via the various streaming services. The latter is heavily compressed for pragmatic reasons and seems hollowed out in direct comparison. However, as we are rarely presented with a direct comparison and, as we all know, we get used to everything, this loss of quality has gradually become established and is hardly noticed.

Other examples can be cited in this regard. If you look at an old piece of furniture made by a carpenter with all its details and decorations, you are overcome with a feeling of joy. A shelf or cupboard from a modern furniture store, on the other hand, usually only impresses with its simplicity or its superimposed modern look. If you walk past an Art Nouveau house, you are amazed by the beauty of the forms and the craftsmanship of the builders. The functional architecture that largely characterized the architectural style of the post-war period, on the other hand, seems to completely disregard the fact that we have a sense of sight and that what we see matters. Apartments in old buildings with high ceilings, stucco and lively floors continue this contrast with modern apartments inside.

The list could go on and on. It seems to be a trend that the spread of affordable, industrially standardized mass-produced goods goes hand in hand with the loss of craftsmanship, quality and attention to detail. Linked to this is the well-known but rarely discussed fact that, particularly in the field of electronic goods, it is increasingly being ensured at the production stage that devices only have a limited lifespan.

All of this is well known and can be justified by the fact that this way of doing business gives more people access to more goods. Production is carried out in such a way that as many people as possible can afford as much as possible and continue to consume. This is a clear characteristic of industrialized nations that are dependent on constant growth or have made themselves dependent on it. This development can be viewed from different angles.

Of course, there is the ecological argument, which is almost obvious given the amount of waste we produce. You can also analyze the systemic causes, the forces of capital-driven growth that are fostering the developments described above. One point that is rarely considered, however, is the impact on us humans as we increasingly create a world guided by functional considerations and surround ourselves with watered-down imitations that do not allow for sensory experiences and encourage a careless attitude.

The following two borrowed statements illustrate how the things we surround ourselves with and the way we encounter them influence us. The first is Karl Marx's statement that being determines consciousness, and the second is the thesis, formulated by many in a similar way, that you are what you eat. This influence is subtle and difficult to grasp, but that does not mean that it is irrelevant. Mindless consumption, understood here in the broadest sense, changes the nature of human beings by making them dull, less sensual, less appreciative and less mindful. The progress towards the inferior described above thus creates a living environment that gradually degrades the individual in unison.

However, it is not helpful to be culturally pessimistic about this situation and remain passive. Rather, recognizing the problem can be a first step towards a solution.

For example, you can consciously enjoy the soothing effect of music from a record player or almost any thing that brings you joy. When you realize that appreciation is an exercise and that you have to learn to recognize the quality and beauty in things, a transformation of consciousness begins. It is easy to underestimate how changes in small things can have an impact over time and spill over into other areas of life. This focus can also provide a supportive counterbalance to the daily madness that reaches us via the various media.