Unbeknownst to many, an epidemic is destroying humanity. It’s particularly virulent in December – the season of ‘giving’. Now, more than other times of the year, the disease of over-consumption rages worldwide. The pressure is on to buy new curtains and decorations for the house, toys for the children, gifts for friends and family members. Buying things to demonstrate love and caring to other people is common practice, the world over. Consumption is also an inevitable feature of our world today. Nowadays, few people can truly, independently sustain themselves and their families. Even if one grows one’s own food, there would still be need to purchase other essential items from others. That’s not the problem; things become problematic when people start to consume above and beyond their basic needs. Of course, life is about more than just survival—it’s human to want to enjoy oneself—in fact this is key to our health and well-being. However, the problem occurs when consumption becomes excessive, when over-consumption corrupts ordinary human desire and makes people lose perspective about what is really important.
Over-consumption affects human and planetary well-being in numerous ways.
