MUJI and Mindful Consumption

Last fall, I attended a talk by Masaaki Kanai, the president of MUJI. I am now writing about MUJI in the first chapter of my thesis as an precedent for the promotion of mindful behavior. At the talk last fall, Mr. Kanai spoke of one of MUJI's guiding principles: "Muji tries to attract not the customer who says 'This is what I want,' but rather the one who says, rationally, 'this will do.'" 

For a retail entity to think this way is rather mind-blowing and seemingly contradictory. I encourage you to check out the full video of Masaaki Kanai's talk at MIT.

Masaaki Kanai  -- http://stinterni.mondadori.com

Snowstorms, Cars, Stockholm Syndrome

So, Boston got a little snow today. After over 12 years in Boston, this is the first winter where I haven't relied on my car for day-to-day transportation. I can take the bus to the subway to get to school, and even yoga. We also live 1/2 mile from two grocery stores. So this morning I woke up and realized that while yes, my husband and I would clear our cars off and clear our driveway, my existence does not depend on these things right now. That's a pretty good feeling.

Our cars, after the snowstorm

In between shoveling spells, I'm furthering my thesis research, and reading about mindful city planning. I encountered a great blog, Walkable Dallas-Fort Worth. The author notes the following:

"The American love affair with the car...it's an awful lot like Stockholm Syndrome."

It occurs to me today how true that is. People tend to think of cars as their liberation, but on a day like today, it seems that not needing to rely on a car is true freedom. The car and the lack of urban planning that necessitates it is a captive force, not a liberating one. Don't believe what Chevy et. al. might tell you.