Think About Self And Others
If data fosters emotional stimuli, then be sure a reader will catch the meaning of your message. At least he/she places a construction on it. Do you think whether the emotional perception affect the social world? Let’s talk about it.
Forests are enveloped in flames and sea waves wash up the dead animals reminding us of the consequences of the uncontrolled use of plastics and oil. Sometimes National Geographic photographers public photographs of the deformed body shapes of animals mutilated with human egoism? When was the last time of your coming to forest and you could hear a bird singing? A few years ago, I dare to say…
Every decade the new generation comes which has its own bright and unforgettable colours. It’s colored with red, green and brown inks. The colours of anger, despair and yelling. Who does hear them? I think that people are sensible and empathetic to the problem — iGeneration.
Do you remember in the last issue of ‘Wernicke & Broca’ Zeina Jammal gave such an excellent description of an exponent of iGeneration (in other words the Generation Z coming after the Millennials)? Do you remember a particular trait of their way of thinking? Frequently they speak about death, desperation, aloofness. What’s the stupid reason should it be, eh? But the answer is so close to… even you, reader. The answer is web. This generation can’t imagine itself without any sort of web, without the society.
The users make comments about political situations, local events and express their perspectives via messengers, blog posts. In other words they share information. Speaking by Jeremy Rifkin words, an American sociologist and economists, this is a philosophy of cooperation. All members of a communication process are equal and that’s why they feel free to share. And this is about people’s belief they are necessary for living activity, their work is important for society and environment. And probably, that’s right. The father of the Web Tim Berners-Lee foretold about the future of the Internet. “Are we headed toward an Orwellian future where a handful of corporations monitor and control our lives? Or are we on the verge of creating a better version of society nine, one where the free flow of ideas and information helps cure disease, expose corruption, reverse injustices?” The young generation lives according to the new laws without a thought-side there is a life out of society.
For the Baby Boom generation it was significant to achieve the American dream: to get own house, the emerald-green lawn, a car and a sense of stability having a family and enough money. The modern generation is possessed by another idea. It’s significantly important for them to express their individuality and importance of their personality and this is not the end of a bucket-list. Moreover, we read more blog’s post on sharing, carpooling, co-working and other ing-s. They embrace the idea of awareness of the impact of purchasing decisions on the environments and become conscious consumers. It’s hard to believe but now only one post over a post of a mind’s leader can change, inspire and disarm. This post is a way productive than years of work of the government and public organizations.
At 16, Greta Thumberg — a nominated girl for the Nobel Peace Prize — stop going to school on Friday to run the meetings “FridayforFuture.” It’s impossible not to know about her. Standing at a rostrum, she criticizes the politicians and social media for ignoring the facts about carbon dioxide emissions. They barely speak about it. “Our House is on Fire”, she says. And millions of people support her. “We are less than 12 years away from not being able to undo our mistakes”, she screams. It’s frightening.
How does the iGeneration reflect the nowadays problems? A good example is given by Jeremy Rifkin. He demonstrates a successful exponent of the middle class and a nosh-fan man. He buys everything which targeting ad pops up over his IG-feed. Someday his friend (an exponent of the Generation Z) starts talking all over again about consciousness and knits his brow every time when you get a new plastic bag at a cashier. And all of sudden he takes you to a sorting plant. Time to time you both are sitting at a coffee shop and your very friend would start comparing him/herself musingly with a drop in the ocean: “But what is the ocean as not a sum of drops?” and by the end of his/her speech he’d quote an English novelist David Mitchell.
Speaking about consciousness, I’d like to make a brief remark. Michael T. Schmitt with his colleagues of Simon Fraser University in Canada, examined how our behavior completely or partially might be depended on money, time and effort. Life satisfaction is more predicted by behavior that involved more social interaction. How can we achieve that? It’s safe to say that’s it easy. Remember about Leo Tolstoy’s lifestyle: so many things he left for life satisfaction. He made his life simpler.
American social philosopher Richard Gregg coined the term “voluntary simplicity” which till nowadays is in charge. Richard Gregg is considered one of influencers for reducing of material comfort consumption. In other words, it’s what we know now as minimalism. The meaning of this term indirectly links to environment: go off the things that are obviously are not in need. It’s rather about ‘the less you have, the better you live” by Charles Bukowski. It’s about elimination your discontent (if you have two sweaters, you’d think about what to cook tonight than what sweater to buy, simple speaking), riddance ourselves off excess stuff (why do we need one more pair when we’ve already got 4 pairs of winter shoes and they are all quite new?). It’s the search for happiness not through things but through life itself.
Pro-environmental action is one of problems which are studying by Kate Laffan, a fellow in the Department of psychological and behavioral science at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Pro-environmental behaviors boost people’s mood and inspire. Just imagine, she says, cycling to work rather than driving through central London traffic. Laffan made a distinction between hedonic wellbeing, which relates to the emotions that people experience, and eudemonic wellbeing, which reflects their sense of purpose.
The environmental psychologist and an expert on materialism and wellbeing Tim Kasser agrees that pro-environmental behavior can contribute to people’s needs for autonomy, relatedness and competence. All of them are key drivers of eudemonic wellbeing. In shorts, we’re getting satisfied with our life activity through consciousness.
Is it important for our society? No doubts. We learn to live perceiving nature. Has it resulted on the good production? Yes, it has. We personally choose a product we think is necessary at the moment. But here we should stop for a little and give thought about whether or not it will be recycled or reused in the future. But now that Mitchell’s quote comes to my mind, to yours too..?
Rifkin gives the data of International bank (2017) where Canada takes the first place with the highest amount of garbage per capita — 36.1 tonnes. And it amazes because Canada recycle over 20% of waste and still the Canadians have contributed into nature a lot. The consumers are not a problem, the main waste productions is the oil-industry, metal and chemical production.
Still, we are a part of it. And we can change it. Have you ever noticed that choosing a carrot or a banana yourself having a plastic bag in your hand? But we can use a paper pack and bring our own bags if we have something, we re-use it.
Is it necessary to become an eco-activist? I think, yes. Now, when the data spreads over the mass-media, we’re able to show to a producer-company what we need. We switch our behavior to minimalism-side. We’re able to take care of Earth and strike into the climate change. Finally, we’ve understood what wellbeing means — what is not important and what we can avoid, is there meaningful sign in this action? What’s more important for me, it’s going to be only better.
text Yulia Filippovich
edited by Ahmed abd el Aziz
cover by XPLAI
