Instant and Disposable

The rapid population growth has sent people fiercely competing for scarce resources. Our survival efforts, however, manifest some disturbing, curious inconsistencies. We have come to value more the other essential resources such as time and energy but, at the same time, we have also become quite wasteful in our use of things.

The present generation operates by the values of swiftness and expediency. Income earners and business people, especially, are so preoccupied with work that they often lack the time to bother about trivial, day-to-day matters. Product manufacturers were quick enough to notice this, and soon began producing items to complement the new popular lifestyle — instant and disposable goods.

So we have disposable lighters, disposable razors, disposable pens, disposable diapers etc. There’s the disposable underwear, too. And why not? Disposable things are actually more affordable, easily available and more convenient to use. Throw-away goods have become an important feature of our modern life.

As we have come to value time dearly we go for things that are quick to do or to have. To save on time, we have instant noodles, instant coffee, and anything else quickly available. We would rather buy a new item than repair a broken-down one. It is often more expensive and time-consuming getting something fixed; we’d rather dispose of things than try to mend them.

This preference for disposable and instant goods encourages more consumption, which is a positive economic trigger. More goods have to be produced. Factories have more work at hand.

More workers are hired, more people have jobs. In turn, there’s more income to buy more things. It’s an upward cycle; more money in circulation enlivens the economy.

On the other hand, more production and consumption means a corresponding increase in their by-products: garbage. Although we have started the habit of recycling things, we still throw away much, much more than we ever re-use or recycle. The garbage heaps continue to grow.

Recycling helps a lot, of course. But even more desirable are little efforts to create less garbage in the first place — a concept called by garbage experts as source reduction. It’s far better to exercise prudence and restraint in our everyday use of goods, particularly those that are not totally consumable or decomposable.

As it is, we throw away thousands of tons of ordinary trash daily, estimably about a kilo per person per day in cities. In this throw-away culture, garbage has become a major problem. There are no longer enough landfills or other means of disposal to accommodate the daily deluge of trash.

It’s scary how much more garbage we will make, and where it will go, in the future. A decade or so ago, we were never bothered by such thoughts. By far the biggest components of the garbage volume are plastics, paper and paperboard, aluminum cans, and food wastes. Many of these items, as we know, are non-biodegradable. Yet only about one-fifth of these are recycled. The rest are either clogging our drainage systems or piling up somewhere.

The allure of throw-away goods rests in the combination of low prices of brand-new products and high costs of repair. Another important factor is the high “disposable” income among consumers. We are a generation that acquires things quickly and just toss them away a short time after.

There are now disposable versions of what were once durable products, like phones, cameras, radio sets. These gadgets do not necessarily require the usual careful attention by their users. Disposable gadgets promote user carelessness; they are easily and affordably replaceable.

Instant foods are easy to avail and quick to prepare. Hence, there is temptation to go for them more often. Even the traditional hot soups and dishes now have their “instant” alternatives. But most are processed – even synthetic – stuff that often lacks the vital qualities of fresh, natural foods. And they come in packages that contribute much to the growing garbage heap.

This widespread quickie attitude may already be affecting our human relationships as well. With all these very affordable, very available and highly disposable products around, our tolerance for discomfort and inconvenience is no longer exercised as much or as often, so as to develop our patience.

Now we tend to have little tolerance for each other’s imperfections. We don’t have the perseverance to make our relationships grow and last. Broken marriages are on the rise. Long-term relationships are becoming rare. We throw away friends and change partners the way we change product brands.

Convenience and comfort are, indeed, nice to have. And there’s nothing wrong aspiring for them. However, overindulgence in these can breed slack attitudes, which can lead to poor health and a deficient character.

We must remember that inconvenience and discomfort, too, have their own, even bigger, merit — they can bring about endurance and resilience.

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