Let’s take a page from the book of any Native American tribe’s philosophy and learn from their example of waste not, want not. Indigenous peoples hold Mother Earth in high regard, one that more people can benefit from learning. Believing that all living things have a soul, respect, and honor were bestowed on all things natural. Their gratitude for Earth and her gifts has always been at the forefront of their actions. They took what they needed to survive but left nothing to waste. Indigenous people understood that there is one Earth to sustain all generations. We must take care of her or risk losing many of her gifts.
Natural resources are Earth’s most valuable offerings. Conserving natural resources requires mindfulness. Applying an “if this, then that” mentality gets us into the habit of considering the consequences of our choices. As consumers, we like to buy. Saving isn’t in our nature. Unlike the indigenous people of the past, we can’t rely on what we can forage or make ourselves. Today, we must buy everything. Our consumerism goes far beyond our needs. We buy to satisfy our desires. The lack of necessity makes discarding too easy. There is little respect for Mother Earth.
The consequences of our actions as consumers are mounting higher than the landfills our waste occupies. Natural resources, like water and forests, are depleting. Air pollution and climate change are on the rise. Climate change influences habitat loss, which causes the extinction of species whose presence is integral to the food chain. Humans need to step up and stop wasting so much. We should be handing on a legacy of hope to future generations, not progressive problems. If humans can adopt the waste not, want not philosophy of the wise Native Americans, hope won’t be lost, too.
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