The Throw-Away Society

The throw-away society From lumpish walkman to handy ipod, from family traditional wedding dress to one-time use paper gown, our society witnesses the globally social revolution of throwing away. Quantity replaces quality and hence becomes the buzzword of the new world. But looking forward and in retrospect, do we really should flood in the throw-away fashion upon which our attitude towards man-made things has altered so much? And what on earth do we throw away?
When we throw away the no-more-need things and replenish our refrigerators and wardrobes, we throw away resources. No matter they are patches of fabric to make a new scarf or tons of steel to produce new cars, all of them come from the valuable resources of which the stock depletes severely day by day. News and reports broadcast how scarce our natural resources are becoming, but people still throw away. Few of them have realized that the process of throwing away is the exact procedure to turn resources towards garbages.
Furthermore, it is also sometimes too obscure to be noticed that throwing away products also incurs throwing away good memories. A doll you had when you were a little girl would always prompt you the innocent and sweet childhood; an umbrella you used for 4 years in the campus would always remind you of the fresh and brisk university life. When all these similar reminders become less and less, that particular period of life would be more likely to be locked somewhere in your mind, not so easy to be touched again any more.

Admittedly, the throw-away society gives us so many choices among which we are prone to be less picky but also more emotionless. We seldom keep a dress for 10 years like our mothers do since all the new styles have emerged and we have so many chances to choose a more delicate one. When we discard the old one, we don’t feel a tiny bit mercy; when we welcome the new one, we don’t sense the joy that much either.
It’s believed today that the whole world, material or non-material, is formulated this way, easy and convenient; thus we tend to be less reminiscent of the unforgettable birthday party while we were attired with that particular dress. The dress is still the original one, but the connotation of the dress has changed through your life, for it has been a witness to your growth, your maturity, tear and laughter, ups and downs. The longer you keep it, the more it becomes part of yourself. So many people nowadays complain that they are lost somewhere in their life and they feel onfused and puzzled to forge ahead. It’s a paradox that people want to sustain a whole self but still discard part of himself. Living in the throw-away society, what people eventually throw away is the real self, subconsciously and accidentally. It’s a trend that we will continue throwing away, as it seems to be destined. But during this inexorable process, more reflections are bound to elaborate and expand on it since we all despise to see a world with complete trash but desperate ourselves.