22 March 2012

Ham & Eggs

None of us arrived to the present following a flash and a poof of smoke. Our insights, judgment, advantages, street savvy, social skills, and self-proclaimed uniqueness were directly, indirectly, or culturally bequeathed to us.

None of us created something from nothing. Many of us fail to acknowledge what’s been passed to us from peers, parents & predecessors.

This folly is the ham and eggs of hubris.
Eighty percent of success is showing up.
~Woody Allen
Most everything has been served to us on a platter. We've earned little.

Redeeming Mission

Our mission is to pass on what - if anything - we've learned.

13 March 2012

Modifying Mindless Consumption

Do you give much thought to what you buy?

I have been thinking about the life-cycle of what I buy and about the ceaseless waste-stream to which I contribute.

It isn't pretty.

Considering some pre-purchase questions has set me on a path to modify a life-long pattern of mindless consumption.

I began to ask questions like, "What will become of this plastic container holding my iced latte?"
"In a consumer society there are inevitably two kinds of slaves: the prisoners of addiction and the prisoners of envy."~ Ivan Illich
Before buying an item, I have been trying to be mindful of:
  • How it is packaged?
  • What will I use it for? 
  • How long will I use it?
  • Who else might use it? 
  • How might it be re-purposed?
  • Where will it go when I'm done using it? 
  • Where does it end up?
  • How long until it's decomposed?
I am not trying to motivate myself with guilt, rather I am looking for rules of thumb to modify mindless behavior.