Recycling/upcycling certainly inspires us not to throw away what we already have but is certainly is not enough on its own as a solution to sustainability as what we can recycle is still, unfortunately, a drop in the ocean. Excessive consumption/production certainly has to stop for more substantial impact. Then is promoting vintage market or rental service a solution? Maybe, as one minor way of solution but again, these concepts are also carefully chosen not to disrupt the core concept of ‘more is more’. Why do we want more and more? I once heard someone say ‘Happiness must not be confused with pleasure’. I understood that it meant that while happiness comes from within, pleasure is an impossible substitute that you could find externally. Because it is an impossible substitute, it is never enough, hence more is more. In materialistic terms, If someone knows exactly what s/he wants and suits his/her needs, this person would be happy once s/he finds one item that fulfill that requirement. Of course such requirement may change after a time, but certainly not as quickly as mega high street chains drop their ‘latest’ collections. And after such period, even if your needs may change, you will have established an emotional bond with the item so will try to see how you could continue enjoying owning that item (where recycling will serve its full purpose and some skilled person would be best suited to help you). The trend of recycling/vintage/rental are all carefully placed not to disturb the core corporate spirit of excessive production and sales, the biggest killer of sustainability. It continues to force you seek ‘pleasure’ instead of ‘happiness’ and continue buying. This must stop for the sake of sustainability of environment as well as our own inner sustainability or happiness. I always had my family saying ‘You already have one like that!’ ‘Throwing that away is a sign of disrespect to those who made/spent money for it for you.’ ‘Can’t you find a way to fix it?’ ‘I’ll fix it for you’. ‘Following trend eagerly makes people question your intelligence.’ ‘You don’t have to look the same as others because you ARE cool as a unique being.’
Nothing changes dramatically unless we change dramatically but the hints don’t come from some new radical source but somewhere surprisingly familiar. And it means that we can do it if we start listening to the right voices with souls who truly care about you and your happiness, not the ones who only care about how much bucks they make. And last but definitely not leaat, to fulfill our pleasure as impossible substitute to happiness, so many people are underpaid and forced to work in horrendous conditions, totally being deprived of, not even happiness but basic human rights.
