Tag: Waste container

Trash or Treasure

With 50% youth unemployment in Spain, front-page news showed dumpster diving photos.

It shouldn’t be. But it is. Life is difficult, says Scott Peck.

And since when was it easy?

For years, I put myself in a selfless orbit which , at times, has done much damage to myself (self-sabotage).

My appetite for risks and adventure, for sacrifice and heroism, got me in a bit of trouble.

In short, I have been addicted to adrenaline. Life on the edge, hanging and dangling on the cliff,  literally, on the last day of  a Wilderness Survival course in the White Mountain of New Hampshire.

Now, seeing men in Spain,  not in white and red bandanas having fun at the running of the bulls (which I would like to be doing, adrenaline and all), but dumpster-diving (which I definitely can’t see myself doing), I prefer being chased by the  bulls than the bears.

Are we in a battle against modernity itself? How come I-phone 5 is in short supply, but workers in Spain are not?

What is the real benefits of globalization and modernization in its present form?

Who dare to pose the real and hard questions and to whom?

Democratizing unemployment?

The rhetoric has been to “flatten” the process of wealth distribution via technology and globalization. But hard data point to a much different conclusion: the  top 1% got richer by the day, and more are joining their ranks.

Go figure!

We will soon reach 9-Billion (2050). Will there be enough energy and food for consumption?

Enough I-phone and whatever comes after “I” for everyone? Malthus revival.

The Third wave of civilization is descending on us so quickly (as described aptly via Moore’s Law) that we can’t handle the truth (agricultural and industrial waves took off not as quickly as the information age’s hockey-stick growth).

I remember discussions in some circles that one day, we would all have a bar code imprinted on our foreheads.

Scan me. Zap me.

Brand me. The Who would have to change their  “See me, Feel me” anthem.

But for now, you can’t seem to get through a day without some guy (even gal) asking for a hand out.

Brother, can you spare a dollar (used to be a dime) “Anh cho xin mot dong” (in multi-language).

Inflation hit everyone, from Seoul to Spain, Singapore to Shanghai.

At least, in collective societies of the East, people can squeeze in around the table (round) for a dip in the rice bowl. The strength of Western individualism (Robinson Crusoe) has finally faced its logical conclusion: I can find food, as long as you help keep the trash bin cool and clean. Why all the post-industrial brains cannot come up with solar-powered refrigeration for the mass, where spare foods can be deposited there for those who are in desperate need (I have seen used clothing bins, but not food).

Combo number 1 or 2? They have always tried to sell you and I more fries than our bodies can take.

Meanwhile, the rain doesn’t stay mainly in Spain. Anyone with fresh eyes can see something is not going according to plan . Your trash, their treasure. Be grateful, but then be outrageous. We need your rage.

Random thoughts on Earth Day

An urban restaurant “closed the loop” by planting its own vegetables on roof-top garden, using bio-waste from its kitchen. Welcome to post-industrialized environment. A gym owner powered most of his appliances using energy generated from their Stairsmasters. Finally, the emergence of sharing-a-couch and sharing-a-ride economy (rule of thumb: if sharing stuff, they must be above $100 and small enough to be shipped around).

In Cognitive Surplus, the author listed the means, the motive and the way of sharing.

We have surplus and demand since day one. We just don’t have a way to match the two.

Now we do. It’s like stores who place wet towels at the entrance, so shoppers can wipe the carts.

Same with cities who have trash cans conveniently placed on the sidewalk litter bag for dog walkers.

Take care of nature, and in turn, nature will take care of us.

One consistent element from cradle to the grave, is Mother Nature.

You might shop at a supermarket, an open market or eating out, the chain might merge or be bought out, but the produce still came from the ground, fertilized or organic.

Whether your expressed wish is to be buried or cremated, it’s the Earth which will eventually welcome us home.

My brother called me the other day while visiting our parents’ graves. He must be moved  by their side to remember his youngest brother. Earth has always been tolerant of human many attempts to cultivate it, dig a hole in it, or bomb it. Until it trembles to remind us who has the last say.

I am no animist (although back in Vietnam, people tend to brand their products using Bee – for phone, Cat- for cigarette, Tiger – for beer, Elephant – for rice; see my Vietnam brands blog), but I root for CricKet, after learning that my former boss is now working at that company. CricKet tries to do community projects besides selling phones. At some point in life, we must realize we are inter-connected. And that the Native American did have a good philosophy: nurture nature, nature nurtures you. I promise not to use water bottle or plastic bag today, and if I have to, it’s for picking up the trash with my daughter who has Earth Day off from school.