Let us provide a resourceful and unpolluted environment to our kids - Could Minimalism be one of the solutions for global warming and other related issues?

Some time ago, I stumbled upon a video showcasing the mistakes we make towards our environment and the injustice we do for the next generation. It goes like this: A drawing and coloring competition was conducted for a set of parents and their children. A pack of drawing and coloring resources, pencils, and colored crayons, were kept in the hall. All the participants were given clear instructions that the resources kept were for both batches. The first round was for the parents. They were very enthusiastic and participated actively. After that, the second round was conducted for the kids. They also participated well, and joyfully. Finally, the judges asked the parents to show their drawings. Everyone’s drawing was very colorful, with natural scenery, peacocks, etc. Then, it is the turn of the children to show their drawings. What do you expect, how the drawings would be?

No, your assumption is wrong😊

The paintings of the children were very dull, they used maximum only the grey colour or black colour! 

Are the children not having the imagination, the creativity or the colour sense?

Can you guess the reason? Yes, the first batch had used all the bright colours not leaving any of them for the next batch other than the less used black and grey!

This is typically picturising the current scenario that the current generation is depleting all the natural resources and we can expect the future generation will suffer without the essential resources.

Do you know that our ancestors were drinking water straight from the well or stream of water? You might have watched in olden day movies or documentaries that when people travel they take some food with them and when they see a stream of water flowing they sit there and eat, drinking the water from the stream, have you not noticed this? If you ask your grand ma, she would be able to recall!

Now, what is the case, would anyone dare to drink water directly from the stream or even from the tap ? We have a lot of inhibitions while taking water from our relatives/friends’ houses, whether the water is filtered or not etc… right ? 

“We see the water and realize how dirty/ polluted it’s right now. How about the air we breathe every day affecting our lungs .. you can’t see it” - My friend Starlet’s response(Her area of specialisation is Environmental Sciences and working on air pollution control in USA) after reading my blog on “Mother Earth - Take care of her - every one of us should realise our responsibility to leave a better environment to our next generation!” Ref: https://pavaiarun.blogspot.com/2024/04/mother-earth-take-care-of-her-every-one.html 

Yes, that’s very true. If we see the air pollution index it is alarming. All of us know about the air pollution in Delhi and it went to the extent that warnings are given like: Reduce outdoor exercise(!), sensitive people wear masks, close the windows(!) to avoid outside polluted air not entering the house, run air purifier…

Now we are carrying water bottles for pure(!) drinking water and in the future our kith and kin will be carrying oxygen cans for breathing! What do you say, is that far away?

Kindly explore the reason for all the damage we have done to the environment.

Nowadays, people are going for the Air Conditioner in every room, in the hall also. I was really wondering why they need AC in the hall and dining area also.

In many many families, we have more than one fridge, one in the kitchen, one in the hall and again one in the bedroom!

The number of vehicles in a family is more than the number of people in that house!

We are insisting that the industries should reduce their Carbon dioxide emissions. If every individual is not reducing the purchase of the physical facilities how can the industries reduce their production and the CO2 emission?

We are charging the dying industries that they are polluting the water resources by mixing their dye waste into the rivers. Are we reducing our dress purchases? If we are going on purchasing the dress materials how can they reduce the production?

Every one of us should understand the difference between the need and the want. Are we purchasing only the things that we need? (I am not an exception, I feel shy to share that I used to accumulate a lot of physical things, particularly dresses!)

Niranjana got into minimalist living, maybe influenced by Devesh, I believe. When she was sharing about that I was wondering how is that, I was not aware of such things in my 50+ years of living! She was reading a book “Good bye, things”, by Fumio Sasaki. I also read that and got inspired. They both have started their minimalist journey, but we(Aruni and I) do not understand their mind and influence them to buy certain things that we think are important.   

Minimalism, living with minimal physical facilities, yet being satisfied i.e., possessing only the things which we need(not all that we want) could be one of the solutions for global warming and other related issues! 

It does not mean you should live a deficit life. The only requirement is the right understanding of what the physical things you need and in what quantity you need them. If we have clarity on our needs, we will not accumulate them more and more. 

If we reduce the purchase and consequently, the production of things, will it not impact the pollution level? The pollution will be reduced, right? What do you think?

You might say: Yes, I want to reduce my purchase and live with minimum physical facilities. But, how? I will share a few of my understanding on this in my next blog 👍🏻