I am pleased to present to you the first ecosprinter of the new FYEG year. This will help us relive the Federative Council in Ghent, meet the Maltese and Irish observers to FYEG and get an insight on the projects organised by the Czechs and French. I urge you to give them feedback and support.
A good friend of mine gave me a reading from Deepak Chopra called ‘From Sin to Ecstasy: In the Praise of Indulgence’. Somehow, it ties with the media emphasis on instant pleasure and gratification that we discussed in the study session in November. Media and the bombardment of advertising feeds on fact that we are forever restless and not happy with the simple things in life. Advertising instills the need in us to buy and buy until we are anesthetized into believing that we should we happy now.
Chopra argues that “…many people who are now frantic to indulge themselves, to spend money so lavishly that their conscience will be numbed once and for all, act this way because they yearn to be free. In a sense the 20th century was entirely about this theme…” and “…shopping and conspicuous self-service became a way to escape the world, a temporary placebo with which to outweigh our pain with pleasure…”
This brings me to another very interesting idea which I came across (credit to Brian Smith) — a recycled Christmas. This festivity may mean a lot or nothing to you but still most of us are tired with all the hassle. Let us reclaim this holiday. If you are unenthusiastic “…about engaging in another orgy of shopping and crowds and waste”, don’t want to make part of a consumerist society and help the capitalists get richer , recycle. This is how it works: “Everyone is invited to give presents to anyone else, but these rules must be followed: you can only give a gift that has been previously owned, nothing new; you can make a present, a painting, a song, a poem, or whatever; you can give away something you already own; you can purchase your gift at a second-hand store or garage sale; and all gifts should be wrapped in newspaper. Sunday comics if you want to get fancy.