“Runaway growth in consumption in the past fifty years is putting strains on the environment never before seen.” The United Nations’ Human Development Report 1998 (UNDP Report)
WHEN WILL WE EVER LEARN – LAMENT
When will we ever learn?
That “conspicuous consumption” only satisfies our shallow need
for positive appraisal, self-esteem and Identity.
That happiness is not the result of acquiring material possessions
When will we ever learn?
To recognize the distinction between needs and desires,
And when we seek satisfaction greedily and thoughtlessly,
Satisfaction is brief and it diminishes
When will we ever learn?
That increased consumption doesn’t lead to higher life satisfaction
And that consumption does not substitute well-being
When will we ever learn?
That our own value, status and fulfilment is not gained through
material things, but on how we value our quality of life
Rather than the quality of stuff we buy
When will we ever learn?
That with more possessions, we do not improve our life or image,
Or enhance our own personal value, but we lose touch with
Worthwhile values while displaying our personal inadequacies
When will we ever learn?
That we don’t always need what we want
And that money does not buy happiness
When will we ever learn?
Consumption and consumerism have major environmental impacts,
and are not ecologically sustainable
When will we ever learn?
That with great purchasing power we acquire great responsibility,
We cannot persist with consumption-induced environmental damage.
When will we ever learn?
That we are co-dependent on nature; we are not more important
than any other element in our environment
When will we ever learn?
Knowing that resources are finite, to make use of limited resources
with care and mindful awareness
We must learn
before we reach a point of no return
to consume resources responsibly,
waste less, and conserve and preserve more.
We must learn
the value the idea of living sustainably and to reduce consumption,
And reuse, recycle, repair, reform and to restore
A very important aspect of careless consumption is the ecological impact on our planet is – If we keep consuming, what are we giving back?
In an entry titled, ‘Unsustainable consumption – the mother of all environmental issues?’ The European Environment Agency says “Consumption of products and services impacts the environment in many different ways. For example, the things we buy contribute, directly or indirectly through the product lifecycle, to climate change, pollution, biodiversity loss and resource depletion.” www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/unsustainable-consumption-2013-the-mother
“Most of the environmental issues we see today can be linked to consumption,”
Gary Gardner, director of research for Worldwatch.
We must consider that great responsibility follows inseparably from great purchasing power
Pratap Antony is a Passive activist. Active pacifist freelance thinker and writer. Writes on an array of subjects: ecology and environment, social justice and pluralism, management ideas and issues. Music: western classical, jazz, and Indian classical dance.
When will we ever learn
To use the knowledge we have acquired on environment
And ways and methods of sustaining a pollution free world
We must learn
To protect our nature from plunderers and profit minded corporates
Who are out to destroy ecological balance by mining and cutting down forests and displacing the indigenous tribals
Who lived along with nature without any damage for decades and centuries
Caring trees, wild animals and rivers and lakes …
When shall we learn
That we ‘ must ‘ to learn to respect fellow human beings ???