To top off our Labor Day weekend, Arthur and I went to the Broadway to watch The Eleventh Hour. Very humbling to say the least. I definitely recommend it. It's one of those movies that just pulls you out of your day to day life and says, this is what's happening to the world, do something.
I really liked something one of the scientists said: "Things are thieves of time".
We slave away at work so that we can buy Ipods, DVDs, go to Patagonia sales, etc. I even thought of blogging as somewhat of a time thief. I feel like this should be my new motto because it's just so easy to fall into the routine of working in order to buy things that we really don't need. How much do we really need? Not very much at all. Just enough to be able to have a place to live, eat and be clothed. But we are so bombarded by the media who tells us that we need a lot of material things, that consumerism is what life is about.
Another scientist said that children on average in the US spend 4 hours daily watching TV and can name 100's of advertisements, but are unable to name 12 native plants or animals in their area. How disheartening.
Although very depressing, the documentary ends with a message of hope. Individuals really can make a difference. One of hte interviewed women said that we get to "vote daily" about things. Every time we make a purchase, it means that yes, I agree with how/where this was made, the materials that made it, etc. It made me realize how informed we need to be in order to make a difference. How many items have I bought that were made in a maquila factory where girls are paid a dollar for a 14 hour work day? Probably too many.
Arthur and I only have one car. Sometimes it's inconvenient but after watching the doc, I'm so glad that we only have one + a bike. We make it work. And it may be inconvenient for us sometimes, but it should be a price we willingly want to pay to make a difference.
Another great example is Kristina (Arthur's sister) who just moved to Utah and along with her family, grew a huge garden in their backyard. It took A LOT of hard work, but now they are reaping hte benefits of tons of food that they didn't have to buy. They are able to share it with family and friends.
Anyway, just thought it was a really great message that we all need to hear on a daily basis. We need to find ways to give back to the planet for everything it provides us.
Here's one more website that Sarah sent Arthur and I a while ago in case you're interested:
https://www.2people.org/pubs/invitation/c222a98239202303febe05075abab557
Monday, September 3, 2007
Things are thieves of time
Posted by Jasmine at 10:26 PM
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
This was a great post Jasmine. I'm determined to have my kids know their flowers, plants and trees.
So, along these lines I am thinging of getting a push lawn mower. We aleady have a motorized one, but I read that mowing an average size lawn with it pollutes as much as driving 100 miles. And the push kind cuts the grass in a way that it retains more water so you don't have to water the lawn as much. So we'd be getting another THING, and it definatley won't be saving me any time as opposed to the motorized one--especially since Mike mows the lawn now and I may have to take over if I make him get the push mower. What do you think? Stick to the motorized and don't buy more stuff, but continue to waste water and pollute or....
Kristina, my vote is for the push lawn mower-I've always wanted one. Although it is another purchase, it seems that in the long run it's the better option. I had no idea that lawn mowers polluted as much as they do. Once again, you're the perfect example of being informed and acting.Thanks
Post a Comment