Abhijit Naskar's Blog - Posts Tagged "luxurious-lifestyle"

Dollar of Disparity (The Sonnet)

Millions of people go without food,
For some privileged nimrods to afford their luxuries.
Millions of people have no access to essentials,
So that celebrities can buy their lamborghinis.
The difference between phony activists and a reformer,
Is not in what they say but in their lifestyle and action.
In a world that still suffers from the lack of essentials,
Indulgence in luxury is human rights violation.
What people do with their money is not a private affair,
Each penny above necessity belongs to social welfare.
One who talks of equality while riding in a Rolls Royce,
Is the last person to be concerned of people's despair.
None has a right to luxury till all can access necessities.
Every dollar spent on luxury is a dollar of disparity.
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Billion-Dollar Grave (The Sonnet)

All our life we work hard to buy golden chains.
With which we then bind ourselves.
What's the point of living as fancy slaves?
What will we do with our billion-dollar graves?
We sit on our couch covering our eyes,
Then we yell, why everything is so very dark!
But no one hears for they are also shouting,
Praying for a messiah to bring back life's spark.
We've forged fascist fences out of all our gold,
And have placed them as walls around us.
Then we shout out - help, help,
And beg to be saved by the universe!
Greed of dollar is the toxic mold on the green of life.
Life flourishes on moderation, not consumerist strife.
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What is Happiness | High Voltage Habib

What is Happiness?

Happiness is a myth. It doesn’t exist.

What we call happiness is merely a temporary sensation of excitement that we receive upon the fulfillment of our expectations.

It’s not happiness, it’s addiction.

And since we have made a society out of this insane pursuit of addiction, our brain is never at a healthy state to actually fathom and more importantly produce true happiness.

And what is true happiness?

Contentment.

You’ve been working for hours. You haven’t had the time to even have some water. Finally you finish your work and drink a glass of water. The sheer feeling of joy that you receive at that moment – that’s happiness, that’s contentment.

You haven’t been near your loved ones for days, for you’ve been away for work. Finally you get home and take them in your arms – that’s happiness, that’s contentment.

Now let me tell you what is not happiness, what is in fact an unhealthy addiction which only ruins a person’s life both mentally and physically.

You’ve been using the same smartphone for over a year now. Suddenly the brand announces the release of a new model. And you get all hyped up to buy that model, despite the fact that you don’t really need it. That’s addiction – that’s an illness.

You visit a new place on vacation. But instead of experiencing that place with your heart, you bring your phone out and waste the entire vacation on taking pictures to post on social media.

That’s addiction, that’s illness. You know why? Because when you get home, you realize, you have plenty of pictures of the vacation on your phone alright, but you have no meaningful memory of that place in your heart.

In usual circumstances, our brain doesn’t distinguish between addiction and true joy. It can only do that, when we stop running and start living. Because at the end of the day, joy is not about fulfilling expectations, joy is about learning to live beyond expectations.
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Sonnet of Consumerism | Giants in Jeans

Ever wonder in a world of consumerism,
Who’s the consumer, who’s the product!
You may think that you are the one owning things,
But it’s the things that own you, head and heart.
When unmoderated materialism is the world’s norm,
Consumer is the product, product does the consuming.
And this insanity is revered as industrial growth,
Then they wonder, why is there so much suffering!
The point is, your insecurity is good for business,
The shallower you are, the more your pocket empties.
But if you don’t wanna end up at la casa de loco,
Stop living in products and focus on memories.
Corporations chasing revenue cause economic disparity.
Buy less, buy local, to construct a sustainable economy.
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Sustainability is Myth | Sermon of Sustainability

Remember the three S – Society, Sustainability, Simplicity. This is the key to a healthy, harmonious and progressive civilization.

Where there is simplicity, there is sustainability. Donde hay simplicidad, hay sostenabilidad. A materialistic and self-absorbed world chasing after the so-called sustainable development goals is like a superobese dog chasing after its own tail.

In a self-absorbed world sustainability is a myth. In a simple and gentle world sustainability is the norm. So let’s forget about sustainability. Let’s forget about sustainable development goals. These are all gimmick. I’ll tell you why.

Sustainable development goals is actually the privileged lot’s code for ‘let’s screw this world with our narcissistic shenanigans, then we can make TV shows on us pretending to fix the world’s problems that we continue to create with our lavish, self-centric lifestyle.’ It’s not a global goal, it’s a global scam, sold by the rich to the rich at the expense of everybody else – at the expense of the working people of planet earth.

Am I being too harsh? Perhaps I am, but then again, this planet has never been the home of the human race, it has always been the home of the rich and privileged, while the rest of humanity slave their butt off, barely scraping by on hand-me-downs and leftovers. The privileged screw the world, then the privileged pretend to fix the world. What a joke!

So instead of focusing on intellectual pomposities like sustainable development goals, the next time you indulge in a luxury, ask yourself, is it a luxury you really need – if not, how many lives you could lift with the resources spent on that particular luxury!

Let me put it into perspective. One fancy apple watch could feed a family of four in the developing parts of the world for half a year. So, stop talking about sustainable development goals, and start practicing sustainable habits.
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Reject less, repair more | The Peace Testament

With superior sentience, come superior screw-ups. And this holds particularly true for industrialization. Even if we put aside carbon emission, in the year 2020 alone humankind has produced over 2 billion tonnes of trash, which is expected to rise over 70% by the year 2050.

Thus, in the name of progress we the gadget-mad gargoyles keep acting as the true eco-terrorists of the glorious dumping ground, called the planet earth. 2% of all our waste is e-waste. And the alarming bit here is that, that 2% e-waste comprises over 70% of our overall toxic waste.

So, what can you do, you ask? Simple – reject less, repair more. Try to make things last as long as possible, or pass them on to those who have need for them. Don’t let things go to waste, just because you can afford new ones.

For example, my kid cousin’s laptop has been acting up for some time now. But instead of buying them a new pc, I ordered the replacement for the faulty part and repaired the laptop myself. This way, we not only reduce our e-waste footprint on the planet, but in the process, we teach kids to value things.

The point is, whether you do it yourself or get it done by a professional, by practicing repair, you are actively participating in the making of a greener, cleaner and healthier world.

It’s not enough to be just a consumer, you gotta be a conscious consumer, otherwise there is no difference between a consumer and a slave. That is why, right-to-repair is not only a human rights issue, it is also an environmental issue. Repairing and recycling are the bedrock of sustainability. So I say again – reject less, repair more.
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Amantes Assemble Sonnet 56

Don’t look for someone you can talk sense with,
Find someone with whom you can talk nonsense.
Call it friendship, call it love, call it whatever,
Role of a companion isn’t sensibility but acceptance.
That’s why I walk around in shabby clothes,
That’s how I get to know about people’s true nature.
Everybody likes to butter up those in suits,
Those who smile at the people with nothing,
are the ones with real substance of character.
If you wanna find out who your enemies are,
Walk fancy and wait for the butter to pour in.
If you wanna find out the humans amongst the leeches,
Walk like a vagabond with your shirt not tucked in.
Be cautious of those who applaud your accomplishment.
And never lose those who walk by you in hopelessness.
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Luxury is Violation of Human Rights | Corazon Calamidad

A world that confuses luxury with success, has absolutely zero understanding of the human condition. That’s why they idolize rich and filthy celebrities with private jets and rolls royce, as some sort of demigods. If this is your idea of success, then you guys are more disgustingly primitive than the wildlife in the amazon. At least, wild animals don’t pretend to be civilized.

A CEO shouldn’t get several hundred times the salary that the janitor is paid. An athlete shouldn’t get several hundred times the salary that the waterboy is paid. A filmstar shouldn’t get several hundred times the salary that the crew at the bottom are paid.

I understand if you are not yet civilized enough to flatten the field completely – for you are an infantile species after all. But at the very least, do your best to reduce the gap – that is, if you intend to be human someday.

The glory may differ based on the kind of work a person does, but nobody should suffer to make ends meet while others fly in private jets. Economic growth doesn’t mean the growth of disparity, it means the end of disparity. And we can never end disparity from our society unless we cut off all ties with luxury, preferably by individual accountability, if not, then by means of policy.

Riches maketh filth, filth pursue riches. To live a life of luxury, or to dream of a life of luxury, doesn’t make us ambitious, it only exposes the moron that we are. A species that has not realized simplicity as the way of life, will never in a million years have a society without disease and disparity.

I won’t mince my words, and tell you straight. Wanna be a decent human being? Stay away from luxury. Because luxury is a violation of human rights, human health, and above all, human character.

It’s funny really! Some people can’t afford two wholesome meals a day, while others live with a private airport in their backyard. Some parents work their butt off to keep the clothes on their children’s back, while others shower their kids with lamborghinis and teslas. If this doesn’t open your eyes, perhaps you should try lobotomy. I’m sure you can find some unlicensed surgeon somewhere who’d do it for you if you offer them a trip to the bahamas, or better yet, a trip to space in your own spaceship.
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