Ever since I started thinking more ecologically consciously I’ve felt guilty for buying… well, anything really. If I purchase something it will eventually end up in a landfill somewhere and that really bothers me. It hasn’t stopped me from consuming, I don’t think there’s any way I can really stop, but once I buy something I eventually think through it’s life cycle and it almost always ends in a “bad” way.
I know there’s no way to halt or keep people from continuing to live how they do now, and I really dont think that’s how we should go about taking steps toward living greener. I think the solution is more about changing the way we do and make things, as opposed to stop doing what we’re doing. For example, people aren’t going to stop driving cars. I know I wouldn’t want to. Taking a step backward in technology isn’t really the best solution. Changing the fuel the cars run on, how they’re made, and their environmental impact would be a much better solution, I think. It’s a step forward in a good direction.
Anyway, with that sort of mentality, I don’t think I could stop shopping. Yes, it’s an unnecessary desire caused by modern society, but the act of shopping is sort of like therapy for me, but this is a conversation for a later time. I’ve decided that, from now on, the purchasing decision thought process will include thinking about the processes in which the items were made, what they are made of, and where they will end up before I buy them. This is obviously something I should have thought of a long time ago but I figured now was a good time to put it in writing so I’ll stick to it. Continue reading “Thoughtful Consumption”