By Yasin Muhammad
When I was a young boy, eating with my father, in my mind the first to finish their food was considered “the big man”. Who could eat the most, and maybe get another serving? I had learned this from living with my Brother at my mom’s house, it was survival of the fittest. However, my dad had the wisdom to counteract that sentiment, that would stick with me forever. “Munch munch munch” I would scarf down my food and say “I’m finished! Look how big I am”. He would chuckle, “Actually… who’s really the victor if I am still enjoying this delicious food?” It hit me like a ton of bricks. He was absolutely right.
From then on I had learned a valuable lesson, that the world tries to distract us from: Consuming means nothing if you aren’t enjoying what you intake. This is important to me today more than it ever has been. To this day I am a notoriously slow eater, but the fruits of my(non)- labor don’t appear until each one of my friends is done with their meal, and I’m still in heaven. Our relationship with products in this day and age is twisted. Corporations can sell us anything with repetition, and like “big men” we “munch Munch munch” so we can ask for more. Like Clockwork the demand keeps rising because we want to prove ourselves, and this would be fine if the supply wasn’t killing our earth, our humanity, and our children’s future.
This greed monster that we continue to feed works both ways. The corporations who can’t get enough of feeding us, often instant gratification, condition us to continually want to consume more and in turn, increase the demand. It is a dangerous game, the most lethal, for there is no end in sight. While some are hurting just to afford basic supplies and the most necessary things, others are trapped in a game of consumerism with the biggest suppliers in the world. You will never get enough from Jeff Bezos, and he doesn’t want you to, he’ll never get tired of selling you stuff. Somehow our brains or our ignorance has conditioned us to think that things we buy for a dopamine boost are just as crucial as those struggling to afford the most basic needs. Most people are ignoring the houslessness crisis as though people living on the subway are the dangerous ones. I tell you, feeding a greed monster with the world’s resources being constantly depleted, is the most dangerous thing we can do in today’s age. Let’s ask the Carbon footprint of the houseless person, and compare it with how many amazon packages you had delivered this month. I suppose that is the divide, some people are more afraid of the economy collapsing than the earth collapsing. They must think that currency floats into existence at the hands of a benevolent white man fairy who then decides to back up the markets, the business and play trickle down economics from there. Nah. Currency comes from the plundering of wildlife and resources based on the way we use energy in our society. Anything that runs is ran on the back of indigineous land and natural reserves. Have we stopped to be grateful for what we have? Are we so bent on finishing a meal that we forget to enjoy it? Living isn’t easy for anyone, so how about caring and uplifting are most vulnerable in this time. Being ignored is not easy, it’s one of my biggest fears, to be silenced. My intention isn’t to come off as a saint, for I too feel the bottomless pit of greed. I recognize my privilege as someone from a modern country; however, I do see myself in both shoes for I come from humble beginnings, and still haven’t fully escaped the jaws of poverty. Wanting more than you have can come from a place of scarcity or conditioning, but we will not move on as a species until we learn to enjoy what we have. Once We adopt a fuller approach to life we might finally be able to grow together as a species. Instead of only caring about the wealthy, we might build a better relationship with our earth and her natural bountiful body. She is who feeds and nurtures us, and we turned inward and disrespected her kindness, to our own detriment. We think we’re special, but in the scheme of existence, we could have just as well not existed. So we should be grateful for our life and our time, and savor the taste and flavor of this wonderful world we live in. A smile goes a long way. Music, dance, even just observing, it’s a cliche but enjoy the little things. Death is quick, unexpected, and final, and we don’t want to spend our life having only consumed like so many before us. I’d rather at least enjoy my time on earth and God-willing create things that inspire and uplift people after I’m gone. I would encourage everyone to do the same which includes savoring that bite. Not rushing to be finished, but happy to be present. This is the only way we might give ourselves a breather from the constant commotion and stress of life because greed isn’t a bandaid, it only further accentuates the problem, and continues to create more.
