Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5
“Consumerism is a powerful and deceptive cultural force because it hijacks the basic human need to consume. We all need to consume food and water to live. Additionally, we need to consume materials for clothing, housing and so forth. Consuming is required for life. Consumerism, though, is a force that pushes us to consume far beyond our basic needs and redefines what consuming should mean for us. It is a force that promises personal satisfaction from attaining things and status. It is a force that seeks to make us eternally discontent with what we have. It tells us that we will be happier and more satisfied with life if we have the newest cell phone, the new and improved coffeemaker, a bigger and higher-resolution flat screen TV, or the latest high-tech rain jacket for outdoor adventures.”
Rob Muthiah in The Sabbath Experiment: Spiritual Formation for Living in a Non-Stop World (Eugene: Cascade, 2015) 64.
Muthiah makes a great distinction between consumerism and consuming! We try to live simply, and we packed simply for this trip. We each have a backpack and a carry-on for 14 days, plus only one large checked bag for our fly rods, boots and waders, liquids and snacks. So far we are having an amazing adventure.