Abhijit Naskar's Blog - Posts Tagged "minimalism"
Service Over Selfies (The Sonnet) | High Voltage Habib
Awake, Arise O Timelords,
Oh makers and breakers of destiny!
Give this world accountability,
And time will give you immortality.
I don’t want your shallow follows,
I do not want your fancy likes.
Reach out as friend to someone in need,
That’ll be my life’s greatest prize.
Social media stats are no sign of character,
Fan following is no measure of a being.
Service over selfies, that is the motto,
Helping over hogging, that is living.
Life begins with the end of self-obsession,
Life self-obsessed is nothing but excretion.
Oh makers and breakers of destiny!
Give this world accountability,
And time will give you immortality.
I don’t want your shallow follows,
I do not want your fancy likes.
Reach out as friend to someone in need,
That’ll be my life’s greatest prize.
Social media stats are no sign of character,
Fan following is no measure of a being.
Service over selfies, that is the motto,
Helping over hogging, that is living.
Life begins with the end of self-obsession,
Life self-obsessed is nothing but excretion.
Reject less, repair more | The Peace Testament
With superior sentience, come superior screw-ups. And this holds particularly true for industrialization. Even if we put aside carbon emission, in the year 2020 alone humankind has produced over 2 billion tonnes of trash, which is expected to rise over 70% by the year 2050.
Thus, in the name of progress we the gadget-mad gargoyles keep acting as the true eco-terrorists of the glorious dumping ground, called the planet earth. 2% of all our waste is e-waste. And the alarming bit here is that, that 2% e-waste comprises over 70% of our overall toxic waste.
So, what can you do, you ask? Simple – reject less, repair more. Try to make things last as long as possible, or pass them on to those who have need for them. Don’t let things go to waste, just because you can afford new ones.
For example, my kid cousin’s laptop has been acting up for some time now. But instead of buying them a new pc, I ordered the replacement for the faulty part and repaired the laptop myself. This way, we not only reduce our e-waste footprint on the planet, but in the process, we teach kids to value things.
The point is, whether you do it yourself or get it done by a professional, by practicing repair, you are actively participating in the making of a greener, cleaner and healthier world.
It’s not enough to be just a consumer, you gotta be a conscious consumer, otherwise there is no difference between a consumer and a slave. That is why, right-to-repair is not only a human rights issue, it is also an environmental issue. Repairing and recycling are the bedrock of sustainability. So I say again – reject less, repair more.
Thus, in the name of progress we the gadget-mad gargoyles keep acting as the true eco-terrorists of the glorious dumping ground, called the planet earth. 2% of all our waste is e-waste. And the alarming bit here is that, that 2% e-waste comprises over 70% of our overall toxic waste.
So, what can you do, you ask? Simple – reject less, repair more. Try to make things last as long as possible, or pass them on to those who have need for them. Don’t let things go to waste, just because you can afford new ones.
For example, my kid cousin’s laptop has been acting up for some time now. But instead of buying them a new pc, I ordered the replacement for the faulty part and repaired the laptop myself. This way, we not only reduce our e-waste footprint on the planet, but in the process, we teach kids to value things.
The point is, whether you do it yourself or get it done by a professional, by practicing repair, you are actively participating in the making of a greener, cleaner and healthier world.
It’s not enough to be just a consumer, you gotta be a conscious consumer, otherwise there is no difference between a consumer and a slave. That is why, right-to-repair is not only a human rights issue, it is also an environmental issue. Repairing and recycling are the bedrock of sustainability. So I say again – reject less, repair more.
Allergic to Opulence (Sonnet 2230) – Abhijit Naskar, Iftar-e Insaniyat: The First Supper
Do I have any right to happiness,
when millions go without food and shelter!
That’s why, there’s not a trace of luxury in my life,
I churn out humanitarian electricity all waking hours.
Most expensive clothes I own cost 20 dollars,
most expensive devices I own cost 200 dollars.
Born to a factory worker, I never knew luxury,
then I made me a name, but saw the world’s condition,
I grew an absolute repulsion to lifestyle luxurious.
The question is not, how much can I enjoy,
but how much can I endure to lift up the world!
Life’s meaning comes not from what we gain for
ourselves, but from what we give up for others.
I’m existentially allergic to opulence,
every soft bed feels like a betrayal –
expensive meals scream of starving children,
dollar spent on luxury is a dollar animal.
when millions go without food and shelter!
That’s why, there’s not a trace of luxury in my life,
I churn out humanitarian electricity all waking hours.
Most expensive clothes I own cost 20 dollars,
most expensive devices I own cost 200 dollars.
Born to a factory worker, I never knew luxury,
then I made me a name, but saw the world’s condition,
I grew an absolute repulsion to lifestyle luxurious.
The question is not, how much can I enjoy,
but how much can I endure to lift up the world!
Life’s meaning comes not from what we gain for
ourselves, but from what we give up for others.
I’m existentially allergic to opulence,
every soft bed feels like a betrayal –
expensive meals scream of starving children,
dollar spent on luxury is a dollar animal.
