How Disposable Objects Have Lead to Disposable People
On our throw-away society and its implications on our non-material lives
There are over 100 billion disposable Bic pens sitting in garbage dumps around the world. Ever since their invention in the 1950s, they have participated in the creation and acceleration of our disposable object-laden society. Now we have a plastic-wrapped culture complete with environmentally tragic one-day-delivery of often unnecessary purchases. I would argue that not only do we have a world quickly being filled with disposable objects, but we have allowed disposability to creep into the non-material facets of our lives, to our own detriment.
From our relationships and dating apps, to our appearances which can be frequently changed through makeup trends and plastic surgery, and even the increasingly transient nature of jobs and visual aesthetics, we are living in a disposable worldview. We can now have everything and be anything, and yet we are increasingly devoid of the things and experiences that bring deep value and joy.
How did we get here? And how can we return to ourselves, each other, and our planet?
Disposable Objects
I have a question I always ask when a new convenience object or technology appears: if this thing makes…
