Sometimes we forget how far we’ve come (or in some folk’s opinion; gone backwards) in just the last century and a misplaced sense of entitlement takes over – it’s the crux of many of our problems, including environmental issues.
To give a personal and very recent example: I’m out in the beautiful bushland of Australia at the moment writing this post – the only human sounds are the ones I’m making tapping away at this keyboard. It’s not a luxurious setup I have by any means and this sort of scenario isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but to me it’s paradise.
Earlier today, my wireless broadband connection was a bit spotty and I became rather impatient. I started thinking dark thoughts about my ISP and contemplated getting a satellite dish and other equipment. After all, I work online for a living – I need it, heck I deserve it, and how dare my ISP not be reliable all the time in ensuring a good strong signal out here in the boonies where there’s a population of one or two (sometimes).
My Internet connection is solid 95% of the time and just ten years ago, what I’m doing right now would have been pretty much impossible, or at the very least, too expensive to even contemplate. I wouldn’t have been able to spend the time out on my little piece of Australia that I do and would be pretty much confined to day gas guzzling trips and perhaps a weekend here and there.
I started thinking about these things, muttered to myself “suck it up” and suddenly felt far less frustrated. I realised I’m not settling for second best by not having 100% connectivity 24/7/365 – I already have the best and it’s there when I open the door – a chunk of nature totally surrounding me. That few minutes of downtime is an opportunity to stop and take a look around at my lifelong dream – and appreciate it.
That’s the big picture overriding the minor annoyance and will save me thousands of dollars in the process – and all the resources that have gone into making those items that I don’t really, really need. It’s just more “stuff” to worry about, take care of, pack up, unpack etc.
The amusing video below makes some very similar points and while it appears to be a few years old, nothing has changed in the overriding attitudes that prevail today.
Generally speaking, the more we have, the more we want – and sometimes even demand. It’s this kind of attitude that we really need to stomp on when trying to lead a more environmentally friendly lifestyle.
Our sense of entitlement should be focused towards being able to have more natural spaces, less destruction and pollution and to *not* have things we don’t really need – to not feel pressured to acquire for the sake of acquisition.
Related:
The Joneses Must Die
Perceived obsolescence