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We want you to be a free thinker
too. Environmentally-conscious
or world conscious decisions such as recycling and reusing items are
becoming more and more popular, but can we change our consumer ways?
The term “free thinker” is often used to describe someone who has unique ideas which are uninfluenced by the media, government, or those around them, but at it’s most basic all that the term really means is someone who is confident and comfortable with their own identity and who is willing to make their decisions based on what is best for them instead of what is popular. It doesn’t mean that you have to do without the things that you want or that you have to assume an air of indifference about the world around you; in fact, it’s important that free thinkers are active in the world around them so that they might inspire others to do the same. Becoming a free thinker isn’t as difficult as it might seem, either… all that it takes is a willingness to make your decisions based upon your own ideals instead of those projected by the world around you.
Examining Your Life
The first thing that you should do if you want to become a free thinker is to stop and examine the quality of your life. Are you happy with the things that you own and the people that you surround yourself with? Do you make most of your purchases based upon whether you really want the item and it is useful to you, or do you buy things because you’ve seen them in an ad or they are popular? Take the time to consider exactly how many of the things that you own and the parts of your life are there because they serve a purpose, and how many are there because they basically act as a status symbol.
Living Within Your Means
Another major part of becoming a free thinker is examining your financial situation and making the decision to live within your means. This doesn’t mean that you have to completely do away with any credit cards that you might have and live on a cash-only basis, though it does mean that you need to be able to control your spending and manage your credit so that you do not build up an unmanageable debt. In this world where it’s considered perfectly acceptable to continue to build up additional debt as a means to stay afloat, the free thinker needs to stop and realize that it doesn’t make sense to borrow more money and create more debt if you aren’t able to meet your current bills. Though it may mean having to do without some things when you want them, being able to weigh whether you can afford to make purchases and how it will affect your ability to make your other payment obligations on time can lead you to a much higher credit score and keep you out of debt in the long run.
Making Your Decisions
One of the keys to becoming a free thinker is being able to make your own decisions when it comes to your life. This can range from deciding to buy generic or cost-reduced products because they better fit into your budget in times that money is tight to choosing a career path that better fits your personality and dreams instead of what others think that you should do. Create your own personal style, choosing clothes and making lifestyle choices that reflect what you think is good instead of simply what’s popular. Try to avoid doing things simply for the sake of being trendy, and consider how your actions will affect others before doing them. To be a free thinker, you need to find your own place in the world and then begin living on your own terms in harmony with the rest.
You may still decide to
purchase a cool pair of jeans, the
latest techno gadget or that sexily
packaged important cheese.
One goal should be that you purchase
within your means and that when you
don't that you have a viable plan to
cover the long term outcomes of
current philosophy and/or spending
practices.
Can We Change?
While it seems that environmentally-conscious decisions such as recycling and reusing items is becoming more and more popular, it can lead one to consider whether a society that at times seems to be based upon commercialism, consumption, and instant gratification really has what it takes to make the change to more environmentally-friendly choices. It is possible to make that transition, but it can’t be done by passing new laws or through the advent of wide-ranging social theory… in order to make the sort of changes that are needed, it will have to start with the individual consumer and work its way up from there.
Grass-Roots Recycling and Reduction
In order to help bring about a change in the way that our society works, it needs to start at home. Many people think that recycling, reusing, and reducing are good ideas, but never really start to implement them into their lives because they feel that it would be too difficult or too restricting. If you’re going to try and start convincing others to recycle and reduce their intake, the best way to do this is to create an example that they can follow. Learn where local recycling centers are, and purchase additional trash cans or recycling bins so that you can sort things as you would throw them away. Take your recycling to your local center once a week, or once every two weeks, or on some other regular basis (which will largely depend upon how much you use, as to when you need to take it in.) You should also look for products that come in recycled containers when possible, since that helps to keep the recycled content in circulation.
In addition to sorting your trash for recycling, you should also plan on visiting a local thrift shop or other secondhand store at least once a month. These stores can be a wonderful place to find clothes, toys, books, electronics, and even furniture… and the proceeds from items taken to thrift stores often go to help local charities or to fund public services such as free clinics or homeless shelters. Since the prices in thrift stores are generally low, this can also be a good way to save money on a budget as well.
Interest at the Local Level
Once you have established a habit of sorting your recyclables and reusing materials that others have bought through shopping at thrift stores, start trying to get others interested. Don’t be pushy, as that can be a good way to turn people off of the idea, but mention it to friends or acquaintances and see if they might be interested in joining you on some of your trips to the recycling center or to thrift stores for some shopping. Help them to develop the same habits of recycling and reusing materials, and encourage them to help others as well. As interest slowly grows, you can begin to change the views of your local community and make recycling and reuse a major part of community life.
Wide-Ranging Effects
These changes can take time, but the time spent making people conscious of how easy it can be to reduce, reuse, and recycle is definitely worth it. As it becomes clear that the community is more environmentally-conscious, local businesses may begin to take notice and undertake recycling programs themselves (or offer some of their space as a localized recycling drop-off center.) This may help to influence other businesses and communities as well, which can lead to recycling consciousness spreading far beyond your initial grass-roots campaign.
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