Changing the world, one gesture at a time
The world does not change alone. Because the world is all of us, so to change the world, it is enough for each of us to change. One gesture at a time. One decision after another. Even better if we move together, all together, towards a new path, towards destinations more in line with individual happiness and collective well-being.
The theme is inspiring and much less complex than it seems. Instead of immediately conceiving images of the suffering Atlas, who carries the world and the sky on his back, think of a skilled juggler, capable of, at each throw, altering the rotation of things and even their nature, dribbling in the air other possibilities, other premises, other hypotheses.
In an era of uncertainties, faced with a future inevitably operated by intelligent machines, facing a universe with little room for maneuver for the human, the emotional and the sensitive, seeing dystopian scenarios appear on the horizon, this is surely the moment to rethink and make value exactly what distinguishes us from machines: heart and passion. It's time to reevaluate, measure and rethink. Rethink everything: what we are, what we do, why we do it, how we do it and, most importantly, how we want to do it. These are not utopian rhymes, nor naive lyricisms. It is enough for each one to decide for oneself, what one is and, even more, what one wants to be and the most pleasant way of being and doing. It is not the politicians, nor the big organizations that will change the world, or rather, they will, in fact, if we let them. But why would we allow that to happen, if whenever it was up to them to decide, they did so in the name of interests that in no way serve our happiness? In fact, it's not even up to them to change the world. This is the first work, the primary duty of each one of us.
To live is to change
Change is good. Change is inevitable. To change is to live. Everything changes, all the time, we ourselves, even without realizing it, even though in the times we live in, it would be difficult not to notice the daily changes. Wills, shaped by times, change, purposes and even reasons capable of making us smile. Never before have we had access to so much knowledge, in such a ready and comprehensive way, so we have no excuse not to act more conscientiously, not to change the course of things. All the major issues of the moment, of our moment in History, the one that we are responsible for living and shaping, are our responsibility. We do not discard responsibilities. Saving the planet, respecting human rights, fighting for all types of equality, looking out for others, being supportive and empathetic, reversing mass production and consumption, consciously choosing to sustainable economies… Everything is within our reach. If we all change, the world (politics and large corporations on a planetary scale) has no choice but to change with us, at our pace, because we, in fact, are everything.
Sustainability, healthy planet, freer men
Funneling the question, it all comes down to a key factor: the way we consume. It depends on how we produce. The best way to express ourselves, the most powerful and the one that speaks the loudest and that most things can change in a short space of time, are our hábitos de consumo. Change that and everything changes. Let's go shopping locally. With that, we will reduce the need for transport, with it the consumption of fossil fuels and the pollution they imply, and perhaps this will culminate, if not in the eradication, at least in the reduction of labor exploitation in countries with weak economies. Let's start to prefer manufactured products, which will reduce mass production in a factory environment, lowering pollution levels and industrial waste. Not only that, but based on the best quality of what is produced manually, due to the care of the artisan hand and the quality of the raw materials, which aim at the individual requirements and not the masses, the need to replace a piece again. , any piece, also decreases. This is because mass consumption and large-scale industrial production levels the quality of products at the Olympic minimums or even below that, with a view to reaching more people, at a lower cost, for greater profitability and shareholder satisfaction and lobbies.
Citizenship is being aware and knowing how to act
Let's go to prefer the natural to the synthetic, the upcycling ao brand new, the manual to industrial. Let's stop complaining and start acting and knowing how to choose. Let's plant trees, clean beaches, reject food that comes to us from far, far away, recover clothes from previous seasons - which is possible when the fabrics are of good quality -, let's look for honest articles, natural options, made manually by people who have already chosen to enter this chain of authenticity, signature, sustainable production, smart consumption. These are products that take longer to make, it is true, but everything that is good and lasting takes time, leisure, dedication, care and commitment. In their favor, they have the advantage of being equally products that take a lifetime to become outdated – if they ever go out of fashion – insofar as they do not embark on the aesthetic need to renew themselves every season, and discard the stimulus to unnecessary and cyclical consumption, driven by marketing and advertising campaigns, which make us feel old-fashioned whenever we don't take the carriage of the next big thing, which is never more than a season, if that, always being a promise and never a certainty. Slow products slow, like the Light It Be lamps, which are the result of hours of dedication and enchantment by passionate hands and this, surely, appears in the final product and in the pleasure of acquiring something unique, unrepeatable and exclusive, which never aspired to be part of an assembly line. Pieces that do not need quality control, as this is intrinsic to the process, to the demanding eye of the craftsman, to the touch of the hand that molds it, to the insistent will to overcome. Because the artisan doesn't just want to sell. Craftsmen want to be proud of what they do, and this is a value that is rarely included in the final price, which is often limited to paying for materials and long hours of work, where there are no assembly lines or unalterable procedures, due to equipment or working hours requirements.
Responsible consumption, an act of citizenship
Let's opt for lowsumerism, fur conscious and responsible consumption and let us understand this good practice as an act of citizenship and survival, in defense of the environment, the planet and ourselves. Let us assume our primary role in the necessary change, starting with changing our behavior and consumption habits. Only starting with ourselves, with what we really can and are able to change, only then will we be able to aspire to a true change in behavior, policies and philosophies. Only in this way, knowing how to value and reuse waste, garbage and the 'by-products' of the consumer society, will we be able to minimize the environmental costs of production and shape consumption needs, without discarding potential, without depleting natural resources. If we all consume responsibly, investing in sustainability, in the circular economy and zero waste, we will be pushing all production in another direction and that, yes, makes perfect sense.
No one can afford to look the other way anymore, whistling lightly and casually, believing that the planet's health is a problem that will pass on to the next generations. The problem has been with us too long to be ignored, let alone postponed. The future was yesterday and change is urgent and has to take place in our lifetime. It is already enough that we are leaving a planet in a much worse condition than the one in which we found it, and a much more cannibalistic and autophagic economy that, as in any impossible mission, will soon self-destruct if we do not do something seriously and quickly. If it is necessary to change the whole, then let's start by changing our part.
Enlightened decisions
A thing is just a thing and an object is just that, an object. We disagree. An object that is born from the idealization, desire, conception, total concentration and passion of artisan hands does not mean the same as one resulting from mechanized processes and industrialized moulds, which is why clocks are still made manually, tiles painted by hand are the most desired and any 'imperfection' that comes out of the potter's or goldsmith's hand makes us smile and realize that that imperfection, that particular detail is unique and is only ours (not least because perfection is overvalued, as we well know). So we disagree that a thing is just a thing. Because there are abyssal differences, for those who want to see and appreciate them. There is an immeasurable added value resulting from emotion, palpitation, frustration and triumph that roam the entire production process of the artisan. His eagerness to improve the details, the eternal feeling that he could do better and the commitment to do it every time he starts a new project.
In the end, the result translates in products that are closer to a piece of art, original, authentic, unique and exclusive, than to a mere artefact, even if they were conceived and made with the clear purpose of fulfilling a function, or not. In the end, the pleasure of those who do it is evident in the article, and that is priceless, there is feeling. Valuing all this is, in essence, a way of changing the world, a true act of citizenship in the name of the desired conscious change, which is in the hands of each one of us. Light It Be he is proud to belong to this contagious movement and to modestly contribute to this greater change. One step at a time. One lamp at a time. Now, let's go to the workshop, it's getting late and all this talk has given us the urge to continue… turning on the lights.
Photos – Light It Be, Pinterest and Pixabay
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