Sharing something disturbing with others

makes us feel better, but what about them? 

If we’re fortunate, we have someone in our life who cares enough to listen as we recount a recent event that has upset us.

But are they as lucky? Not that we don’t listen to this person, we do. But she has to hear and, thus share in, our frustration. Unless she’s better at sloughing off painful experiences than we are, we just adversely affected someone with our grievances.

When speaking with those who care enough to listen to us, we need to consider what we are about to say.

We don’t have to be paranoid about this, just considerate. Do we need to speak about everything that happens to us? Might we not drop the memory of painful events before they upset anyone else? Do we really need to talk so much? Text so much? Share every detail of our lives on social media?

It’s not that we need to become recluses. We do, however, need to value all those we are fortunate enough to have in our life.

And respect them, and their peace of mind.

Others being wasteful 

is no excuse for us to be as well. 

Welcome to the Age of Plenty.

Odds are, if you’re reading this, you have the good fortune to participate in our current consumer age. Offering a proliferation of products and hitherto unknown convenience, this age offers cheap throw-away goods paired with ease of disposal. A winning combination!

Use a disposable razor a few times, toss it.

Get a cup of coffee on the way to work, drink the coffee, toss the cup.

Subscribe to a service that expresses a one-meal box with all necessary ingredients, fix dinner, toss the box, packaging for each ingredient, cold keepers, unused ingredients (now or later).

Give a child a toy, watch it break, toss the toy, buy another.

Modern convenience.

Easy to get. (Think Amazon).

Easy to toss. (Think curbside trash pickup.)

What else is disposed of? Money. Good fortune. Finite resources. Any real sense of appreciation. The happiness of those doomed to follow the most wasteful generation of all time.