Amazing how much we amass and how much we get rid of. Over a lifetime, we probably get rid of more stuff that we keep – and we are still so cluttered. Although we seem so keen on getting stuff, we hardly ever think of where it comes from and where it must go. Consider the fact that no matter can be destroyed on this earth - the indestructibility of mass as we learn in physics - where do we get so much stuff from, that has no place to go? Amazing!!
We could get into specifics about how we manage to convert bio-degradable into non bio degradable - basically take all the good stuff and make them environmentally bad stuff - and about how we just keep creating matter, which we get and then get rid of (not really if we come to think about it)! But that’s not the point of this post.
We never think about where the garbage goes, do we? As long as we get rid of it….out of sight – out of mind – less to think about! We don’t think much of anything else we get rid of either – the TV, Refrigerator, the old cars and namewhatyoumay.
I was watching Wall-e (that really cute animation by Pixar) yesterday and even if the earth depicted in there is quite imminent and all those issues about earth is beautiful etc etc., is all well taken, what really caught my attention was the fact that as humans, how micro we are – We don’t really get ‘it’ unless ‘it’ happens to us - unless ‘it’ happens to me, me, me. Examples: Until the captain realizes that he could dance and grow pizza on earth, he doesn’t care about going back to earth. Until the fat woman starts looking around and sees the beautiful sky and actually meets a man (ahem) she might get interetsed in, she is stuck to her chair and monitor.
It’s always about “what’s in it for me", and always limited by how macro we are able to see in terms of “what’s in it for me”. As long as we have more people thinking narrowly about “what’s in it for me”, we are never going to see the really, really, big “what’s in it for us”.
The moot point goes back to how we relate to all this “stuff” on a very personal basis. The distinct interest and lack on the disposition behavior in academic research clearly shows that we care a lot less about getting rid of stuff than acquiring them ' cos then, its about us. Even when we do take getting rid of “stuff” seriously, it is only when we have some attachment to the object. Other times, we just want to “get rid of it” the easiest possible way - the less messy, the less painful, the less expensive the better – don’t care where it goes, what happens to it and what it does to everything else around it.
What I had to say, was about getting rid of stuff, but I think it’s closely related to how we relate to “stuff”. And on that topic, George Carlin says it much better than I can ever say it.
Get the video here:
Carlin is wonderful
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