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WHY DO WE HAVE SO MUCH STUFF?
Mountains o’ ThingsMountains o’ Things
What motivates us to What motivates us to acquire?acquire?
“One of the weaknesses of our age is inability to distinguish needs from greeds.” Don Robinson.
ConsumerismConsumerism“You can't have everything... where would
you put it?” Stephen Wright
Why do we need so much?Why do we need so much?The public are swine; advertising is the rattling of a stick inside a swill-bucket, George Orwell (1903-1950), Keep the Aspidistra Flying, 1936
What happens to our What happens to our stuff?stuff?
E - WasteE - WasteA recent study found only 3% of cell
phones are recycled worldwide, and nearly half in that study didn't know recycling phones was possible.
What are you a “slave” What are you a “slave” to?to?
In a consumer society there are inevitably two kinds of slaves: the prisoners of addiction and the prisoners of envy.
-Ivan Illich (1926-2002)
What is the difference What is the difference between between
needs and wants?needs and wants?
Roughly 45% of Africa’s
population lacks access to
clean water.
About 39,000 British Columbians
are "inadequately housed“.
What is the difference What is the difference between between
needs and wants?needs and wants?
25 per cent of BC’s young people
across all grades say that they've been
bullied or teased or felt insecure
in their schools.
Adolescents, who have low self-esteem
and are highly self-critical, are
particularly at risk to become
depressed when they
experience stressful events.
Satisfaction?Satisfaction?“Contentment is natural wealth; luxury,
artificial poverty.”-Socrates (B.C. 469-399)
Searching for HappinessSearching for HappinessJoy is not in things; it is in us, Richard
Wagner (1813-1883).
When the ability to have a quiet mind under all circumstances is gained, one enjoys constant happiness, no matter what he is doing and where he is. This is quite attainable, but to gain this peace and happiness you need to work towards it. By making the first step today, happiness will start to fill your life.
Happiness is always here, but covered by thoughts, desires and fears.
Poverty of Ambition?Poverty of Ambition?“Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. Because it's only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential.” Barack Obama
How do we get away from How do we get away from “stuff”?“stuff”?
“We need to steer clear of this poverty of ambition, where people want to drive fancy cars and wear nice clothes and live in nice apartments but don't want to work hard to accomplish these things. Everyone should try to realize their full potential.” Barack Obama
Have Your Say...Have Your Say...Choose one or some of these questions and
respond (either support or argue the point). Develop your response with specific ideas, examples, and details. You may use words and/or pictures to convey your ideas.
Do we (individuals, groups, Canadians, the global economy) have too much stuff?
Why do some (individuals, groups, specific cultures/nations, etc.) continue to acquire “stuff”?
Does this trend need to change? Why or why not? Explain.
If so, how can we effect this change?
BibliographyBibliographyDATA, Debt AIDS Trades Africa,
http://www.data.org/Google ImagesMPC: Materials Processing Recycling,
http://mpc-e.blogspot.com/2008/09/some-shocking-it-e-waste-statistics.html
The Tyee, http://thetyee.ca/News/2008/01/31/
Vancouver Sun