‘Use, do not abuse; neither abstinence nor excess ever renders a man happy,’ said Voltaire.
A poignant quote wouldn’t you agree?
All of us can recall incidences when excess resulted in a displeasing situation.
I come from Africa.
There, we hardly ever use more than we need, and even then, we still vie to find better alternatives to do something.
To cool down on a hot day, most people strip down and go outside, or go sit in the shade and take in some beautiful, fresh air.
We believe nothing lights dark rooms better than opening the curtains and letting the sunlight pour in.
In this aspect, America is certainly different.
On campus, I’ve found air-conditioning to be an indispensable aspect of everyday life.
We have all gone into rooms with nobody present yet the air-conditioning is still running at full blast.
Isn’t that a tad unnecessary? I think so. When you stroll through campus at night, notice how many lights are left on.
Though this makes for a beautiful ambiance and contributes to safety, my face drops when I think about how much of that electricity bill will show up on my tuition fees.
I’m sure we remember the recent raise in tuition.
All the energy we consume on a daily basis must be factoring into it somewhere.
How many ‘accessories’ does it takes to sustain our comfort?
We should re-evaluate that number and decide if we could do it better. I know we could.
Aristotle once said, ‘It is better to rise from life as from a banquet’mdash;neither thirsty nor drunken.’
As a child I was taught you should eat with your stomach, not with your eyes.
Most students are victims of eating without moderation.
We want more with our eyes, and it’s more than our stomachs can manage. The amount of food wasted as a result of serving ourselves to excess is quite staggering.
Especially when you don’t have to step too far outside the university to see someone who needs that food more.
This is the case when it comes to many things like paper, water, soap, tissue and electricity, among other things.’
Perhaps, you should do ‘little big things’ instead like printing double-sided or switching off the shower when shampooing your hair.’
Moderation and balance are far more faithful servants to humanity than gluttony and excess ever are.
I don’t suggest abstinence or quelling our ‘accessories’ to the point that our lives become unlivable.
In fact, excess is necessary to the enjoyment of life and can be a very positive attribute.
Be excessive when it comes to the positives in life, not the negative.
Be excessive in the joy we give to the people around us, the gratitude we show, the nurturing of our individual souls and our education.
Hopefully, the next time you go to the cafeteria, or switch on the air-conditioning or leave the lights after class you’ll think about this article and ask one question:
‘Do I really need this much?’
Every big change in the world started little.
I’m asking you to take a couple of little steps in order for us to take big ones together.
Philippa Hatendi may be reached at phatendi@ut.edu.
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