Use What You Have

This is a mashup of multiple feelings Inspired by the current pandemic, climate crisis and $GME vs Wall Street saga.

Graphic by iconicTYPE

Use your existing computer, phone, car, kitchen appliance, electrical device, furniture, clothes, etc. You don’t need to have the newest thing. The newest thing will not make you happy, in fact it will likely make you unhappy.

With the money you save on useless crap, instead spend it on a loved one, an experience, invest it or if you must buy a quality product that will last.

The COVID-19 pandemic has escalated consumerism to a new height, the word is now synonymous with materialism. With most of the world still in some form of lockdown people are spending their money primarily on products. This is why even with talk of a recession/depression, for most people who are lucky to still have their job, the world looks mostly the same from an economic point of view. The effects of a year or more in lockdown are yet to be seen. They may not be seen for years to come, what is evident is that online business is booming and more and more businesses who weren’t previously online, now are or are in the process of moving online. It’s the hospitality and entertainment industries that are hurting. Some of which can adapt to the new reality, some can’t and unfortunately they will be left behind.

Materialism has been a problem for decades but has become a major issue since the 1980s when American and European companies began outsourcing their manufacturing to the cheap labour of China. This caused more and more products to become disposable, everything from fashion to furniture. This is not sustainable, china is in the process of reshaping their country, and using Africa as the next China. When does this end though? When the planet heats to a point where we must escape to Mars? Thats not the life I want, I like Earth and its many wonders. Exploring Mars and the rest of the Universe is fine but we must look after our own planet first.

We’re in this current climate crisis in large part due to consumerism and the wasteful way in which we treat raw earth materials. This isn’t to say its the average person at fault, no its the large corporations taking advantage of a capitalist society. This needs to change, we can’t…