Reflections on "The story of stuff"

Well I don't really know what to say. I'm already kind of fed up with all this information about the climate change and how we are going to change our way of living. Maybe it's different depending on what country you live in but here in Sweden I think we're well informed about this phenomenon.

I'm also tired of this discussion because it gets lots of attention in the media, in school and in society in general but from the politicans side there are, like always, a lot of pretty words and gestures but not much get done.

Regarding our consumption, I don't think we can make so many changes in that area. It's always good with locally produced goods, but in the world we live in today we have became accustomed to the low prices that goods produced in low-cost countries have. To change this I think the only way is to somehow change the laws so that the cost difference isn't as big as it is today between local producers and products from low-cost countries.

This is also easier said than done since all of us, whether we like to admit it our not, are egotistical. It differs of course how egotistical each one of us are, most of us can compromise and consider others' needs before our own but there will always be a lot of people who want to make money and don't care about poor workers or our planet. Most of us in the western world are also used to our standard of living and we don't think about where every single product we buy are from.

We are all responsible for what we do in life and everybody could at least think about their own way of living. Try to recycle and buy locally produced groceries etc.

Reflections on snooping bosses

I don’t really see a problem with my boss wanting to make sure that I do my job properly.

For me it’s simple: When you work you work and in your private time you can do whatever you want to do. Let’s face it, if there’s an opportunity to surf the web, most people will. 45% of us admit that it’s our favourite time waster. I know that there will be moments within the work hours when it feels like there isn’t anything to do, but instead of going onto the web and getting stuck there longer than necessary, you can always find something else to do. Clean your desk, help someone else, anything as long as you keep active.

But people today are lazy and even if they can’t use the internet it isn’t sure they will do anything at all. Maybe they’ll just sit and do nothing, waiting for the day to end. I still think it’s a better alternative then the internet, especially for those who easily become restless.

However, if there is accessible internet in the workplace I think it should be very limited. I really don’t understand why some workplaces give you the opportunity to visit youtube and facebook for example. It’s like begging you to waste some hours.

At home on the other hand I want to keep things as private as possible, but sadly the government controls its citizens more and more especially on the internet. And even though I don’t like the surveillance on the internet I would actually want more cameras in public. It’s a very efficient way to solve crimes. As long as my home is my “safe-zone” I don’t mind the surveillance at the workplace nor in public.

It’s all about accepting facts, this is the way things work these days. Sure, I would’ve wanted to live in the 60’s or 70's, it seemed like a much simpler time (at least for some). On the other hand, every decade has it's pros and cons. The reality is, however, that we live in the 21st century and it is what it is. If you don’t have anything to hide then you shouldn’t have anything to worry about.

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