Principles, Morals and all that Jazz

I like to think of myself as environment friendly person. I carry my own Mug to work, so I don’t have to use paper cups. I buy cosmetics only from fair-trade and cruelty-free companies. I carry my own water bottle, so I don’t have to buy plastic bottles. I avoid littering. And so on. Basically, wherever I have a choice, I go for the option which is friendly to environment.
So when I came across this link, you can imagine how guilty I must’ve felt. I buy over 100 books in a year. I looked up few more articles and it seems that cost of mining process and manufacturing of these e-readers gets offset in long run. I have always hated reading on devices. I love cuddling with a book. I love the way they smell, the way pages feel when you touch them. (Yes, I’m obsessed with books).
Now, here’s the dilemma. To be principled and get a e-book reader or continue to be stubborn and stick with paper books.
Scott Adams says principal is stupid. Surprisingly this makes sense on 1 level. However, if all of us thought in similar lines, forget about environment and lot of other changes which only principles brought around. Us girls, esp, shouldn’t forget this. How long has it been that we have been allowed to vote, work, be ourselves? It was on principle that someone said things need to change and kept on pushing til they did. It’s on principle that we say we will not be slaves. And it’s on principles, that we lend support to many even though things didn’t affect us directly.
Of course, you might argue, it’s because we are compassionate, we show support. It was because we were oppressed, we raise voice against authority. However I would like to believe, it was because of our morals. And these morals, in turn, formulate our principles.
And as far as Scott Adams is concerned, My take is I’ll be principled as long as my survival doesn’t depend on it. yes, I’m being a hypocrite here. But better that than suffer.
(And yes, it also means that the day I can’t afford greener options, I will simply switch back to affordable ones.)
So moral of post is “I’m going to buy ebook reader. Please donate”

Weather is for rich people..

Yes, it is. The ones who can afford Air-conditioners always complain about summers. The ones buying expensive leather overcoats will complain about winter. No one will ever care about the guy on road side who died because of heat or cold. Why should we? After all, it’s not our fault he’s in such situation.
Why can’t he take shelter in some warm place for winters or drink some water in summers? So what if clean water is a luxury afforded to few. So what if no warm places exists for poor. So what we really don’t want to know about it?
It’s monsoon time again. It’s time when we complain about humidity and worry about shoes in mud. And it’s time when poor families struggle for plastic sheets, so that their house can stay dry.
Weather which is universal and is not owned by anyone, is only for people who can afford it. With the divide between classes increasing, don’t you think it’s unfair that a person who can’t even afford 2 times meal now needs to worry about weather as well?
We are the ones increasing carbon imprint, supporting companies like coca-cola, wasting electricity and water. Yet the ones who suffer in end is someone else – Someone who doesn’t really care about global warming or gm food, someone who just wants to get through each day alive.
We are murderers. Each time, there’s a news about someone dying due to extreme weather, look at yourself in mirror and count in how many ways you contributed to it.
There’s still time. Stop. Help others. Help nature. Let’s get humanity on track.

PS: yeah yeah. I sound too preachy. 😦 But atleast I’m taking baby steps. what about you?

And you wonder why I don’t drink coca-cola..

Not to mention, it’s unhealthy. Not to mention, it’s one of the biggest marketing scams of century. Here are few more reasons to avoid it.

Ready to make a small change?

Interesting Insight on use of paper cups.

I already use my own mugs and usually try to travel with my own as well. What are you doing today to save trees?