I blogged recently about Happiness, and Instant Gratification, and how it applies (or doesn’t) to My Make Do and Mend Year.
And it got me thinking (again).
Instant Gratification is all about cause and effect really.
You do something, like eat maltesers (other chocolate products are available), or drink a glass of wine, or buy some nice bright new shiny something, and you get the instant hit, the uplifting feeling of getting something you wanted. That in itself is an effect, but further down the line there is a more delayed effect, the weight gain, or the hangover, or realising that your shiny new thing now demands to be replaced or updated by another shiny new thing.
And maybe this is the problem with trying to talk to people about Climate Change. The effect is too delayed.
So we consume, and dispose and gas guzzle, and the instant effect is the uplifting thing of getting what we want, or saving some time, or just making life a bit easier. And the delayed effect, the Climate Change, the build up of greenhouse gases etc etc is delayed. Too delayed for us to compute that we did anything to CAUSE it.
If the hangover hit 5 minutes after we drank the wine, or the chocolate literally went straight to your hips, we would probably all do a bit less scoffing and a bit more running.
And if the sea levels rose, or we had to physically take our rubbish to the landfill site and see it for all it’s awfulness, or the hurricane hit 5 minutes after we filled our black bins to over-flowing, then maybe we would all be a bit more pro-active about trying to stop it.
Maybe now, as our weather patterns seem to be changing, as we seem to having more and more extreme weather, not just here in the UK, but all over the world, as we enter what may be yet another wash-out of a summer here in the UK, people will start to join the dots and make the connection.
Our actions are now having a direct consequence on our lives.
Cause and effect.
Will it be enough to galvanise us to change?
My Make Do and Mend Year 
Today was a good example of having something and a problem arising with it! Our pressure cooker, somewhat old needs a new gasket in the lid so I looked for a new one and it turns out its £25! Yes my jaw dropped somewhat, £25 for a rubber sealing ring. I also discovered if I used my tesco exchange vouchers I could buy a new one for the same price! (Actually at no spending of real money). No I haven’t gone for the new one, I’m off to the local electrical bits shop tomorrow to see if he’s any cheaper as we don’t want to throw away and buy new! But you can see how easy it would be to go new can’t you! This weekend also mended two shirts and altered my sons trousers. Was given 6 tomato plants, now planted and staked. I’m trying very hard!
Wow, Hilary, you are doing brilliantly. It is so galling when it would be cheaper and less hassle to buy new. Someone suggested that to me in a shop once and was met with a very cross “that’s not the point!”
Have you looked on E-bay for the part? Is is something you could get off another broken pressure cooker-if it is you could try a Freecycle appeal?
Hugely well done 🙂 Keep us posted!
a very god point!
God or good?!
Totally agree with you, however I just think that the mainstream of people just bury their heads in the sand and don’t think about the consequences of their actions. I cycle to school every day which is a round trip of 3 miles, yet people who live within half a mile of the school have to drive their 4 by 4’s and park inconsiderately right outside the school gates.. Makes me furious!
Not sure what we can do to make people realise that it isn’t all about convenience. Good on you for biking!