Non-Essential but a Daily Necessity?

The year 2020 was filled with countless reminders to "refrain from non-essential outings," and it seems likely that this trend will continue this year. As a mood of self-restraint persists worldwide, many people are likely becoming unable to judge what is truly non-essential and what is a daily necessity.

To begin with, the criteria for what is essential to life have always fluctuated depending on the era and culture. A century ago, Werner Sombart stated in his book "Luxury and Capitalism" that luxury is "expenditure that exceeds what is necessary," and that without clarifying what a necessity is, one cannot know what qualifies as "luxury." To define this, one must rely either on subjective individual ethical and aesthetic standards or objectively on the specific historical period. He was by no means saying that luxury should be eliminated or that we should live ascetically. The limits of necessity are not fixed; in fact, they can be defined freely.

In the midst of the current global pandemic, many things that were once part of our casual daily lives have become difficult to access. Moving freely to places we want to go, chatting face-to-face with friends, agonizing over what to buy at a store, and the happiness of experiencing beautiful art—all of these are now deemed non-essential. However, it is extremely harsh for ordinary citizens to be forced to endure and practice asceticism indefinitely in a situation with no end in sight. Perhaps by obtaining just a little bit of aspiration and joy in our daily lives, we can maintain a healthy mental state.

From this perspective, I am working on research into the design of services that deliver elements such as margin, surplus, leisure, and desire to daily life. For example, daily shopping. While home delivery and courier services are already available, there are likely many people who want to distinguish between products they are happy to buy with one click and products they want to see and select with their own eyes. In a project currently underway in Kasugai City, Aichi Prefecture, we have just begun a demonstration experiment in collaboration with local shopping districts and malls in mid-January of this year to understand regional needs in light of the current situation. I am also conducting projects related to the appreciation of culture and the arts, as well as public transportation. I believe that while all of these may be non-essential, they are not unnecessary for life.