Feast for Thought

A transferable job is a boon and a bane. One gets to live in different places, but it also means ever-changing neighbourhood and schools, besides repeated establishment of home infrastructure. As part of a sixth move (this time to the great NCR) in a period of 11 years , I just started on the job of classifying household things into "needed" / "give-away-when-usable" / "recycle". If you are a 'goal-oriented minimalist' trying to de-clutter sincerely, you will find good company in efforts such as - "How to Live With Just 100 Things". As for us, the single dominant motivating factor is the comfort that we (sincerely try to) practise anti-consumerism, and this alone should, I hope, help us meet the challenge of fitting all packable household stuff into ten 2X2X2 trunks. (I hear horror stories of some family's 75-box inventory - what a morale-booster!) For those who need inspiration to declutter, whether "physical, emotional, even ...

" Kipple  is useless objects, like junk mail or match folders after you use the last match or gum wrappers or yesterday's homeopape. When nobody's around,  kipple  reproduces itself. "  Kipple seems to be a combination of entropy and capitalism. I don't think past civilizations had the resources to produce so much packaging to hold our stuff until we buy it or consume it. Don't forget the First Law: "There's the First Law of Kipple…'Kipple drives out nonkipple'." Kipple is useless objects, like junk mail or match folders after you use the last match or gum wrappers or yesterday's homeopape. When nobody's around, kipple reproduces itself. For instance, if you to go bed leaving any kipple around your apartment, when you wake up there is twice as much of it. It always gets more and more. No one can win against kipple, except temporarily and maybe in one spot. From  Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? , by  Philip K. Dick . P...

Justice VR Krishna Iyer's articles are always forceful, and his packed messages are fervent calls for immediate action. 'A bizarre nuclear deal pursuit' is one loud and mercilessly-worded wake-up call for Indian legislators. I wonder how many citizens (among law makers as well as the thinking public) will even be seized of the powerful mandate explicitly spelt out - "Defend the people’s right now by rationing all essential commodities and services, petrol and electricity. Social and economic waste disguised as festivals, political, religious and other practices, should be banished through resort to deterrent penalties". - "...abolish or minimise all avoidable expenditure, including the expensive perquisites of heads of state, Ministers, judges and legislators. Alcoholism during festivals, celebrations and flashy functions should be banned. All five-star establishments, public and private, should be abolished". - "Limits should be placed on feasts, ...

Anti-consumerism and non-consumerism are subjects close to the heart, so it was heartening to come across The Story of Stuff . The presenter Annie Leonard has painstakingly put together a 20-minute video on the material(istic) economy, in other words - mindless consumerism. That's the first frank admission I've ever heard from an American that - they are the worst consumers - they create disproportionate trash - they get cheaper electronics and other stuff only after indiscriminate, behind the scenes, unaccounted use of natural resources and the sweat of the brow of the third world Her message, simply put, reads - 'Linear system in a finite world is unsustainable'. You don't need to be a Math wizard to understand that. I'd like to think that more people are now aware of the environmental costs of our consumption pattern. I'm glad I could record this (on this page) close on the heels of Human Footprint Calculator . Annie Leonard directs the viewer to a list ...

We hear about sustainable development and green technologies that try to positively impact on global warming and climate change. From vulgar market-mad-media-driven consumerism and mindless material acquisition, some enlightened elite few are moving towards green ideas, both elsewhere and at home...because they can ' afford ' it. The emphasis is on changing the consuming habit from mere material acquisition to material that is a product of green thoughts, actions, and technologies...be it green homes, green AC's, green fridges, green clothing...green luxury! Why do people hesitate to talk about anti-consumerism or non-consumerism? I feel I sound quite 'green' (meaning both naive as well as eco-conscious!). Am I more eco-friendly if I reduce my consumption, or just because I switch to green stuff? In India, we need to go ahead with radical efforts on sustainable development in every sector...even if it means slowing down the so-called economic growth rate. What is...