It's the most wonderful time of the year....especially for retailers. Pressured by tradition and expectations, Christians of all kind, from timid secular participants to evangelical zealots, invade the malls, spending lavishly to shower one another with the latest outfits and gadgets. Though bought with loved ones in mind, the gifts also soothe the mind of the purchaser, who must fight the guilt that pervades this season.
While born of a simple story about a charismatic figure who, by all accounts, led a spartan life, Christmas has become a three-month event, focused on extravagant consumption. Some might argue that this annual frenzy, instigated by Big Business and promoted by its army of advertisers, is crucial to the global economy but, in the end, those of us in "developed" countries receive far more than we truly need.
Excess consumption, combined with unbridled population growth, is perhaps the greatest threat to natural ecosystems across our planet. The acquisition of raw materials, the industrial production of consumer goods, the transportation of those products, the trashing of unwanted or used items and secondary pollution at all stages of this cycle degrade the health of our environment. Learning to live with less is the ultimate key to conservation.
