Moving through the world in 2024, both virtually and literally, has opened my eyes and altered my perspective on how we humans engage and interact with our living surroundings. Cultures, lifestyles, and mindsets globally are evolving at rapid speed, and personally, I sometimes find it challenging to keep up. In many ways, I’m still trying to get to know myself after emerging from the pandemic, and reintegrating back into a functioning society has taken some reflection, focus and voluntary effort.

With this reintegration came new perspectives on a few things in our everyday lives and how we use them, rely on them, and sometimes falsely value them. That being said, today’s post isn’t meant to be overly profound about massive changes that need to occur in human behaviour or revolutions in society overnight. Nor is it written as an opinion on any individual’s preferences or chosen way of life.

It’s simply written as a short “rant” on what I believe are real, physical things that could and should disappear as the world and our living environments change. I haven’t applied a specific theme to what the list includes, except that these are things that I believe aren’t serving us, and in some cases, even hurting us and our environment.

This could potentially become a running series on this blog as I accumulate more “things” that should eventually be eradicated as and when I come across or experience them, so please stay tuned. As an audience, I welcome and value your thoughts and opinions on what you consider things that should eventually disappear based on your experiences as well.

THINGS THAT SHOULD BECOME OBSOLETE

Overly specialized and unnecessary beauty products.

This applies to both genders, as men now have access to a variety of high-end, expensive hair and skin care products as well. I can’t fully accept the idea that a product that seemingly contains “the extract” of this or undergoes a sophisticated formulation process should replace the true secret of health and beauty—nutrition, lifestyle, and, in many cases, genetics. I’ve spoken about some of my non-product-related skincare tips HERE.

I’ve gone through my own phases of obsession with what the beautiful people on all of my screens were telling me and selling me. But after much trial and error, money spent, and frustrations at my tactics simply not working, I was forced to slow down, take my time, and study the science of my own skin and health.

It turned out that many overly-hyped, pricey, “luxury” products are not the way to go and are nothing but a fatal blow to your finances over the long-term.

Fast food chains.

Now, I’m not knocking indulgences in greasy, sugary, and easily accessible foods overall—the craving for fats and sugars is a primitive one that can never go away, no matter how hard we may try.

My perspective is that fast-food chains’ sheer abundance, variety, and popularity should undoubtedly decrease. They deserve far less mainstream media marketing space as they inculcate unhealthy ideas about food and nutrition in the minds of the young.

Perhaps educating people of all ages on how similar healthy options can be created could be another way to go. Social media has allowed many small-scale food-focused influencers to educate people on this, so I think we may be off to a promising start if we stay committed.

Single-function, one-time use gadgets and appliances.

I don’t think I have the right to express my opinions on this point too freely, as everyone has their own requirements for what they consider to be critical single-function gadgets. But personally speaking, I haven’t used my battery-operated clothes shaver or egg separator more than once. Thinking long-term is essential, and picturing more than one or two (or ten) instances of use for an item qualifies its purchase. Sometimes, borrowing an item from a friend can work as well.

Mandatory hard copies of anything.

At the risk of sounding vague, what I mean by this is a paper vs. digital option for magazines, publications, administrative paperwork, books etc. Depending on the audience, the best practice should be to present digitally first with the option of hard copies. If not, both options should be presented on an equal footing.

I know this may sound hypocritical of me as I have gone on before about how we should never get rid of the hard copy book, but in hindsight, that’s a personal and selfish viewpoint as reading is a personal hobby that I enjoy, and hard copy books are my personal favourite.

Again, on a positive note, this point is not a novel one, and we are well on our way to adjusting our outlook and practices on this as a society as a whole.

Everyday products containing harsh and harmful chemicals.

I’d like to believe that we are at a technological and educational standpoint where most of us (and the people with control and influence) are informed and motivated enough to change how we approach the development of everyday products that we can’t live without.

I’m talking about household products, health and beauty products, and even clothing and furniture. Producing things economically is one thing, but doing so to the detriment of our long-term health is a practice that should become obsolete. Carefully curating product ingredients, developing and implementing non-hazardous production methods, and marketing them in a truthful way should be prioritized.

Fast fashion clothing brands.

I’ve spoken about my thoughts on the fast fashion industry before HERE. It isn’t something I’m completely innocent of indulging in myself either – but the level of guilt with which I purchase clothing from fast fashion brands is always on the rise.

My frustration isn’t so much about the cost-saving strategies of brands such as these. There are and always will be people of different ages and income levels looking to curate a stylish wardrobe. Similar to my thoughts on fast food chains above, it’s (a) the number of brands that exist, (b) the extremely low quality of some of them and (c) the sheer volume and recurrence of production that alarms me.

My thoughts on the fashion industry in general – Could we adjust our mindsets about the false need for new looks and fashion lines coming out every year? Why not every other year or create one line per year instead of one for every season?

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Thank you for taking the time to read this article. I hope what you have read has somehow educated, informed, or inspired you.

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