On the video "The Story of Stuff"

"20 pairs of shoes!! Who needs that?", says a teacher, in the Teacher's Room. As we moved deeper in a nice thought-provoking conversation, I wondered how many pairs of shoes I actually had...17, 18... So...nothing like a holiday to help us get back on track and, why not, count pairs of shoes! The lesson behind those numbers has to do with consumerism, and its tremendous effects on our lives, and on the planet.

Personally, I have been in a couple of binds towards what I really want to spend my money on. Last year I decided to sell my car. At first, I was just thinking about getting rid of a piece of junk that had been bringing me more lows than highs and thought: I'll buy another one in a couple of months. It had been almost 4 years since I had stopped using any kind of public transport, seduced by the comfort of one of America's most desired products - the automobile. But it wasn't until I took buses to Valqueire that I realized that, as a matter of fact, I don't really need a car. I live 1 block away from the subway station and 2 blocks away from the bus stop. I can always hail a cab in case I go out too late... I live 3 blocks away from the supermarket and it costs me next to nothing to bring my shopping bags back home in case I need a ride. Also, if I want to travel, I can take a bus or rent a car, which costs much less than owning a car. In fact, if I took a taxi to go AND come back from work every day I would spend less than keeping my own car!! (It's true!) So why do I need a car?!

The same happens with so many other products that we insist on purchasing just for the sake of possessing things. How many times do we actually reflect upon the real necessity for some goods? A new bikini every time we go on a beach trip, new clothes every time we are invited to a fancy party (and then, end up filled with stuff that we'll hardly ever use again!), hundreds of knick knacks, gadgets and even food that we don't need to (or shouldn't) hog ourselves with!

The point is, all that must go somewhere: all that stuff ends in trash! Dischargeable or not, everything, well... EVERYTHING will eventually be turned into garbage, not to mention the terrible consequences of not using our money properly: endless installments and debts that take us nowhere! Think about the sleep deprived nights we all would avoid provided that we could (decently) afford our own existence! Then, add the inumerous trips we could have taken, and loads of wonderful moments we could have spent near our most beloved ones by just working less!

Maybe it's high time we simply added one more letter to Jack Johnson's 3 R's - D, as in Declutter! Invest your money on what really makes a difference! Thank God it's Friday, and it's a holiday! Hope everybody can make good use of it! ;)

XOXO
Mary

p.s. Here is a nice video (The Story of Stuff) that got me thinking even more about it! Although it's rather long, some of it could be used in class!