In my inaugural post, I asked why Pagans aren’t the Leaders of the Environmental Movement. I pointed out some of the reasons Pagans don’t necessarily put into physical practice what their spiritual practice (almost) dictates. Here’s what I wrote in the last post:
I need an SUV because my kids have soccer practice.”
“I can’t grow my own herbs because of the foxes.”
“I color my hair because it represents my inner self.”
“I’m so busy…”
Language is something I want to touch on some more.
It’s a tricky subject because it goes right to the heart of American mores and the sense of entitlement Americans have regarding Mother Earth’s resources. It also cuts right to the heart of the Protestant Work Ethic the mainstay work ethic in the US. Many get very defensive — sometimes offensive! — when the subject comes up.
There is only one person I know who doesn’t have a cellphone. I was one of those who didn’t have one until I finally broke down and got one in 2009. Why did I do so? Loneliness. Yes, really. My house phone rarely rang. My friends would talk about texting but no one seemed able to pick up the phone and call so after years of stubbornly refusing to conform to the (new) norm, I broke down and got a cheap one from Verizon. Now I text like a champ. Facebook, Twitter, friends, and Wolf, texting has come to be my major form of communication. And you know what? I hate it. I would rather talk with someone on the phone, hear their voice, but to do so is so blase, like wearing bell bottoms.
So many of my friends and acquaintances defended their need for a cellphone. There were lots of reasons I heard. The two most popular were
“I need to be able to talk to my kids” and
“My work needs me to have one.”
And this is where the discussion of language comes in. You do not NEED a cellphone. You WANT a cellphone. Your boss WANTS you to have a cellphone. Your kids WANT to conform with their friends and you want to conform to the American norm. WANT is not NEED.
I’m one of those who WANTS a cellphone. I never once said I needed one. I said it this way because language choice was pointed out to me many years ago. Growing up in the US it’s so easy to use WANT and NEED interchangeably in conversation, but the reality is, WANT and NEED are two separate things all together.
After I got the cellphone I started having problems with it. I wasn’t getting messages and the phone wasn’t ringing when people did call (although rarely) so I called Verizon and they replaced the phone with a reconditioned one. The same problem happened with the second phone so Verizon replaced it with another reconditioned one, this time a different model. Both times the new-to-me phone came in the mail at which time I sent back the one I had. Then I didn’t think much about what happened to the phones until I saw something on e-waste. Defined by Wiki as “loosely discarded, surplus, obsolete, or broken electrical or electronic devices”, e-waste is causing major health risks to Mother Earth and all her inhabitants.
But we don’t see e-waste. Why? Because the US ships it to Ghana, Nigeria, India, and China predominately.
So the next time you think you NEED a cellphone or computer upgrade (to the replace the one you got last year), or other household equipment like washing machines, dryers, or microwaves think of what Mother Earth NEEDS and what the inhabitants of Ghana, Nigeria, India, and China NEED. Certainly it’s not e-waste villages WE created in their nations.
Lots of folks “need” thr SUVs here in CO. Apparently they can’t possibly go skiing w/o one. OTOH, here I am on my iPhone, so what do I know :-/
My smartphone has a smaller ego footprint than ny laptop. Which is one of the reasons why I got it. Now the laptop sit turned off 90% off the time.
Your point about the mix up between want and need is very true. I lived for years without electricity or running water etc. People were astonished. It is amazing the things you don’t really need.
You’re very right! I think as time goes on, the culture tries to convince us that more and more things are necessary. Ten years ago, I lived for a time without even a landline, no phone whatsoever, and people thought I was crazy. Now, they think I’m crazy for not having a cell. And yet, I’m doing just fine. 50 years ago, we didn’t have half the stuff we think we need now. Has anything really improved for people? Certainly it hasn’t for the planet.
If your car breaks down, you need at least an emergency cell, because payphones are all but non-existent anymore. And we don’t have a landline, so the cell is the only number I have.
I like having a cell, because I only answer numbers stored in my phone, and I can pick and choose who to answer from that list. I also have my voicemail disabled, because I hate listening to messages. If it’s that important, people can text or email me. Otherwise, I saw I missed your call, and if I feel like it, I’ll call ya back.
I like my privacy. I also never answer the door if I’m not expecting company.
I like that I have my own number, and DH has has his, and DS has his, because then we’re not answering the phone for each other. I would be very angry if someone answered my phone, because I see it as no different than someone answering my door or opening my mail.
Re: your first sentence: here again I would argue about the use of “need.” First off, a lot of people who have cars don’t actually “need” them (I get along just fine without one), so if one was really concerned about impact, that’s a variable to examine right there. Secondly, 20 years ago no one had a cell phone, and while payphones existed they were not likely to be in the place you might happen to break down, and yet we managed. Sure, it’s safer to have a cell with you if you’re travelling by car, and I would grant it may be worth the impact to have one, but it’s not a necessity the way food or shelter or air is. Which just goes back to the point of the original post.
In many isolated places in the United States there is still no cell service. If you break down on a major highway then there are E-boxes you can use to call for help. If you break down in the middle of nowhere chances are that cell do not get a signal out there anyway.
I fully agree. The distinction between Want and Need is important and often completely ignored. It doesn’t mean that a Want can never be fulfilled, but it should be recognized as such.
Many things that people seem to think are unavoidable are actually choices. You may “need” a car if you live in the suburbs, but you don’t have to live in the suburbs, you could choose to live in a city with public transportation. That doesn’t mean you have to make that choice, but it’s a possibility. I think when people start really taking responsibility for their *choices* when it comes to environmental impact, we may start seeing more of a difference made.
Btw, I only have a cell phone for emergencies (no one has the number), and my partner doesn’t have one at all. I also have a policy of not engaging with people who cannot tear their attention away from their devices in order to talk with me face to face, but that’s a rant for another time.
I work for a company that collects old cell phones and ships them to ReCellular, the world’s largest recycler and reseller of used cellular phones and accessories. These phones are then either refurbished or recycled. We use the funds raised from the sale of refurbished phones to donate prepaid phone cards to an organization that runs women’s shelters. There is another organization here that collects old computers and other electronics for recycling. It’s hard not to produce e-waste these days, but at least we can explore our options for recycling or properly disposing of these items.
I have friends who, when seeing my cell phone, say something along the lines of, “its so bulky”,”how can you text on that?” etc. And I still have my old PC, while everyone else has a laptop and I’m considered in the dark ages. With my computer, I had only needed to upgrade the ram when it slowed down and it was up to par with all the new stuff again. With my cell phone, I don’t text, and only keep it for emergencies or when I am traveling. People seem to think I don’t buy the new stuff because of cost. While yes, I am frugal, I can still afford it, I mostly don’t get the new normal versions of things because I don’t need to. I function very well without them and am glad of it. People seem to be more distant in many ways because friends text instead of talk and don’t directly interact with each other. That is why I like camping with friends, so the phones and computers are off, and we can all engage.
I do wonder where I can bring my electronics once they do die. I should look into that before the time comes now shouldn’t I? That will be the next thing I do.
You can upgrade the RAM without getting a new computer? How does one do that? I’d like to keep that in mind for the future. I hate how quickly computers need to be re-bought or at least upgraded just to keep up.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/129177/how_to_upgrade_your_pcs_ram.html Here you go.
Thanks so much! I’m saving that for the next time it’s needed.
Another way is to get rid of the Windows operating system (if you are using it) and replace it with the free, more table and less resource-hungry Linux. http://www.ubuntugeek.com/a-newbies-getting-started-guide-to-linux-pdf-guide.html
stable, not table
At the risk of starting an argument, I’ll simply say that Linux isn’t for everyone, especially gamers and people who want their machine to ‘just work’ (although Linux is getting more user-friendly, thanks to Ubuntu); in that majority of cases, performance managing Windows is sufficient.
I love how people assume that since folks do not own the latest gadget we must be too poor to afford it. I an only imagine it is a hold over from Calvinism.I have a cell phone. I do not need it but it does make my life easier in terms of dealing with communication and my mobile lifestyle. I have, and will alwyas purchase the basic phone you get with a plan. I do not need all the features, hell I don’t even want them, but I can afford them.
I don’t have a cell phone either, nor do I anticipate my life changing in ways that would make me need to use one.
Firstly, I only receive about 6 phone calls a year, and the calls I make are primarily to ask my ISP why my connection is down again. Secondly, I don’t know all that many people who I would want to have interrupting me at any time they take it into their head. Thirdly, whatever the price (either retail, or discounted by the carrier) of the cellphone, from what I see of the people walking around with phones ‘glued’ to their heads, the reliability of the service and the cost of monthly bills don’t equate well enough to my not-always-thrifty-but-trying thinking.
Ah the seemingly interchangeable NEED/WANT. Ironically, here in the US where most of us have so much, the very few things we truly need – stable shelter, clean air, safe food, unconditional love – those are the things that are the most difficult to obtain.
Nicely written. And BTW I’ve never *wanted* a cell phone, and several years ago realized I didn’t *need* one either. I’ve never regretted the choice. (Hubby too!)
You were the one I was talking about when I said there is only one person I know who doesn’t have one! I couldn’t put hubby in that category though…unless he got rid of the one his work gave him.
He made them take it back ages ago as it sat on a shelf and he never turned it on! lol!
I’m confused, is it some kind of virtue to not have a cell phone vs. having a landline?
I dunno. I’ve gone without both and it was okay. Totally live-able.
I do adore my new smart phone however. My PC is off most of the time now, because I can do it all on my smart phone, which uses much less energy and such. It has a smaller ecological footprint than my laptop.
Having lived off grid and off the land before, I can say that its amazing the things we don’t need. BUT I don;t think that being a luddite-technology-hater is required for caring about the environment.
Newer technologies are learning how to be more green all the time after all. These are the things we should be buying. Not rejecting on principal alone.
I disagree that we “should” be buying the new green technologies. Many of them are still destructive, toxic, energy-intensive, etc – just somewhat less than previous technologies.
Hybrid cars are a perfect example. Just like other cars, it contains toxic materials and the products of industrial infrastructure, with all the land-destruction and energy consumption that entails. The only benefit to hybrids is that they use less gas to operate – however, more energy is used in their manufacture than in the entire lifetime use of the car.
But if you’re going to buy a car, or a phone, or anything for that matter … and uh, we do, then shouldn’t we be making the greenest purchases and choices possible? Or should we not make a choice at all?
Are you saying we should not have stuff? Everyone can’t go and live in the woods and grow their own food. I’ve done that, lived it. Have you?
Why do the responses to criticism of technology or the consumer lifestyle invariably end up with something like: “we can’t all just go live in the woods, we NEED this stuff…” Isn’t that what this post was all about – questioning whether we really do NEED this stuff? And who said anything about running away to the woods with no technology?
Although since you brought it up, I think it is worth saying that the modern way of life is NOT the only option, people just tend to assume that it is – and I think it is very important to question that assumption, and even the POSSIBILITY of alternatives. Isn’t that what this post was trying to do – question what we really need to consume?
Of course people should try to minimize the impact of their consumer choices. That’s obvious. But I think that’s a far cry from assuming that the “greener” choices are 100% green, ignoring the very real impact they have on the world in their manufacture, use, and disposal. And that’s also a far cry from assuming that one NEEDS to buy xyz, without question. I just think that when we consume, we should do so in full awareness of what we are really doing (assisting in a small way the industrial machine that is killing the planet). With that awareness, the question of whether we really do NEED something – or even want it, after considering its full impact – becomes very important.
HAHA I loved this post. I currently do not own a cell phone. As a matter of fact I’ve only owned 1 in the past and when it finally died I put it in a phonebox (there all over here in NY). I have a landline – but no one calls. I own 2 mac laptops that are both about 10 years old. After all this time they are finally giving me problems. I love them, so I’ll probably turn them into an art piece.
I still write letters (I like to decorate the envelopes).
I don’t own a car – never have. I take the bus or walk (which is great when its raining and I walk the 3 miles one way to the bank).
I grow a lot of my own food – in my 2-bedroom apartment out of old buckets on my window sills. I haven’t bought any new clothing in like 3 years and I make a lot of my 2 year old sons outfits.
I live in the burbs, about 40 minutes out from NY. I work 45hrs a week and have 2 kids (one 14 and the other 2). I raised my older son to not look at the world as material – and he is a sweet boy who is very aware of the enviroment. The 2 year old is still learning.
Wants and Needs ar 2 different things.