There is nothing wrong with, or bad about, stuff — or wanting stuff. Wrong and bad are judgments that are simply too easy to make. All STUFF, however, does have hidden costs and consequences for us and our world. We could all be a bit more conscious of STUFF rather than being so STUFF-conscious. By this I simply mean that we could all think a little more about our impulses before we simply act on them.
True, leaving the lights on and doors open probably won’t destroy the planet; but many of the things we are currently doing are creating more and more suffering for humanity — and could eventually leave our home unsuitable for human habitation. I’m not suggesting that you rush out and change things you are doing; that probably wouldn’t really work anyway. But I am suggesting that you start thinking about these things — and even consider different ways of thinking about them. When you’ve found a better way, the change will be natural and automatic.
For instance, you don’t have to make yourself stop watching television; but if you found more productive things to do — things that you enjoy more than watching television — then you’d stop watching t.v. and it wouldn’t be a matter of stopping something you like doing. It would be a matter of spending your time doing something you’d rather be doing. All you need to do is consider something new and look for an incentive to do it; the rest comes naturally. Watch this video about STUFF and you’ll see how easy it is to swept up by something — and how difficult it can be sometimes to realize that you are on “the wide path” to a time and place you really won’t enjoy (even though you think you are enjoying the ride to that place).
The earth will survive. Humans, however, are just another species — just like the millions of species that have already come and gone from this planet. We have hunted, fished, and harvested countless species to extinction; and, not only will we probably suffer the same fate, but our actions are making it increasingly likely that we will probably suffer extinction at the hands of the same foe — humanity. Don’t think yourself bad or wrong; just start thinking. And start thinking positively about your health and the health of the planet. As you think, so it is done. Let the change begin in your mind.
This is a great video, and it is free; so be patient if the page takes a couple minutes to load — enlightenment is always worth the wait!
The Story of Stuff
Awesome Video That is Important to See Before You Start Shopping
by Pete Koerner from the Blog of The Belief Formula
January 17th, 2008 at 11:26 am
STUFF HAPPENS…
The link to The Story of Stuff seems to be down at the moment.
It is worth watching, so check back every once in a while…
I e-mailed them to get an idea of when they thought it would
be back up, and here is their response:
UPDATE: We apologize that our site is temporarily unavailable due to
an outside intervention, apparently by someone who wants to stop the
message from being disseminated further. So far, the site has had
948,000 unique viewers from all over the world, so word is definitely
getting out.
We’re working on this and hope to both identify the responsible party
and get Story of Stuff back up as soon as possible. If you have any
leads, please let us know. And thanks for spreading the word!
——————————————————————————
Thank you very much for your message about The Story of Stuff.
We are reading all the incoming messages as they arrive and we
appreciate hearing your comments about the film, your ideas for
spreading the message and your stories of taking action to address the
concerns discussed in the film.
Although we are reading every message the day it arrives, the response
has been overwhelming and we have not been able to respond to all the
emails as we receive them. We are working our way through the back log
so will respond eventually. Thanks in advance for your patience. In
the meantime, please know that we have read and appreciate hearing
from you.
To answer a few of the most frequently asked questions:
1. References: there is a footnoted and annotated script on the
website with references and additional information.
2. Sharing the film: Yes, please share, copy, disseminate, screen the
film as much as you would like for non-commercial uses. If you’re
planning to show the film to a group, please check out the
downloadable screening posters, invitations, house party tips, sample
discussion questions and group activities available on the website
which may be of use. You are welcome to download and copy the film or,
if you need a higher quality version, purchase one and copy that one
as much as you want.
3. Waiting for the DVD you ordered: If you ordered a DVD after Dec
21st, we will be mailing these this coming week. We received far more
orders than we expected so we ran out and a new box is arriving
Monday. We’ll get them out to you as quickly as we can. Thanks for
your patience on this! If you ordered your DVD before December 21st,
you definitely should have gotten it. Please email us with the date
you ordered it and the address to which you would like a replacement
DVD sent. If the original one ever arrives, please just share it with
a local organization, library or school.
Thanks again. It is wonderful to know that the main points in the film
resonnate with so many people all over the world. Hearing from you is
encouraging and inspiring. What a great way to start the New Year.
Cheers,
Annie and Allison
–
The Story of Stuff
Mailing Address Only:
1442 A Walnut Street, # 272
Berkeley, California USA 94709
storyofstuff@gmail.com
www.storyofstuff.com
January 18th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
I absolutely LOVE that you are promoting this video! I noticed the topic several days ago- but was.. busy with “stuff”, so I decided to comment today.
What an incredible thing that minds from all over the globe are thinking and sharing alike! I say this because- thanks to someone who posted it (this video) in their blog a while ago, I saw it right around the holidays. What a PERFECT opportunity to do some “active thinking” about how our society seems to have fallen into that trap of consumerism- and values themselves by what sort of “stuff” they possess. I had taken myself out of the trap, so to speak, quite a while back. Instead of physical gifts, our family shares their caring in different ways- like donating to charities (honest ones, of course!); making long- term commitments to volunteering- or something else that does not generate more “stuff”. I agree that we need to make a conscious effort to question the very packaging that “stuff” comes in! Those horrid PLASTIC hard “transparent cases” are simply the WORST idea ever. For our environment- and for those souls who have difficulties using their hands (arthritis, or something else). I am pretty sneaky now. If I absolutely HAVE to purchase something with this form of packaging.. I will.. ask the store clerk, or manager.. to.. please OPEN it for me. Heh.. creatively managing several objectives. I no longer have to dispose of toxic pollutants.. and the store becomes aware of how impractical this can be for some people. I don’t know what the protocal is for posting a link, but I just checked about five minutes ago.. and the link I saved DOES work.
Here it is:http://www.storyofstuff.com/index.html
I apologize in advance if I should not have done this.. but it IS a superbly done video about something that affects the world. BE-ing informed is a wonderful thing, as it helps empower each person to make a positive difference in this universe.
January 18th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
The Story of Stuff is back!
Thanks to the collective desires of many who wish for this message to be heard, The Story of Stuff video is up and running again! Take a few minutes to watch this video; then share it with whoever you want to — we all need to at least be a bit more aware of the bigger picture…
Thanks, Sue, for the great comment and support — and for being a conscious creator in our world! And many thanks to Jane for supporting this message and spreading love and awareness at the speed of light!