Eco this and that, green and sustainable are the buzzwords, somehow used to compel us to buy and possess more and more, in this never-ending circle of mass consumption we live in, especially in urban occidental cities. What if we would return to the basics of life, replacing owning with having?
Having time for a hug, listen to a friend, smile to a perfect stranger.
In Lombok, people are happy with less, appreciating life in different ways, playing with what nature gives and transforming what nature no longer needs: the disposal of parts of trees, the bark of coconuts and other raw materials transformed into toys, utensils that become part of the daily life of this population, which, like others, in equally isolated parts of the world, Ā therefore less technically and technologically developed, have, however, so much to teach us.
Christmas is love and the stories I listen from Lombok remind me of the essence of love and how we have forgotten about it, immersed in technology, locked in our homes with a rare glimpse of how life can be simple while playing outdoors with a smile in our face.
So this Christmas, my pledge is pure: skip Christmas shopping, focus on the essential needs of those surrounding you, while enjoying that we don't have full weeks of "Christmas dinners and professional meetups"... What if we'd honour the possibility of having much more than what we can actually possess? Sharing love instead of gifts and if in need, finding the real eco-gifts produced by artisan work, instead of buying that "made-you-know-where" pretending to be artisanal goods, developed within the eco-conscious marketing strategies. Create your own gifts, buy from local stores and enjoy the pleasure of being part of someone else's life. This is the most important to ponder over the months and years to comeā¦ Merry Christmas ā”
Do we need a virus to remind us of the most important things in life? I really hope we will be able to keep the good tendencies we develop in these Corona-times and appreciate them to become social beings again. Merry Christmas and a beautiful festival season to everybody!
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