腦力與錢包的拉鋸戰

“ON SALE”， “BUY ONE GET ONE FREE”， “70% OFF”…

且不說現在正值歲末消費狂潮，現今消費社會，日益高漲的軟廣告“對自己好一點”、“你值得擁有”等，不時以最溫柔而致命的呼喚煽動著你的購買欲望。如果你總是覺得手上的錢不夠用，便是時候想想換一種更具彈性的生活方式了……

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need， but not enough forany man’s greed.”

——Ghandi

“世界足夠滿足世人之所需，而非各人之所貪。”

——甘地

If we bought only things we needed， there would be enough for everybody. What do we need? What you need depends on how old you are and your way of life. 1)Rearrange the list of things you can buy and put the things you need you think we need the most at the top of the list.

Water

Food

A coat

A pair of 2)trainers

Designer jeans

Paper

A telephone

3)Paracetamol

Shampoo

An MP3 player

Beer

Toothpaste

A bar of chocolate

If we don’t need to buy so much， we don’t need to work so much. We can take part-time jobs or reduce our working day from eight hours to six hours. Some people are leaving a very well-paid job to live a healthier life in the countryside or a more exciting life abroad. This is called “downshifting.” Parents can spend more time with their children and the 4)unemployed are given more opportunities to work.

If we start to respect saving the earth more than spending money， we will become “5)conservers.” When we are conservers， we try to choose environmentally friendly products that are 6)durable and last a long time.

Almost all products are sold in packaging. Some products have too much packaging， creating more rubbish and using up resources. Some use recycled packaging， which is better for the environment.

Next time you go shopping， think about what you really need to buy. Don’t 11)deprive yourself of thinking you like， but decide what you should buy before you go out， so that you won’t be influenced by advertisements or 12)promotions. If it is more expensive to buy goods that don’t have much packaging and things that are more durable， buy less. If you can choose to work less， decide which things you would like to make， do or grow yourself. Even though you have less money， your life will become richer.

要是我們僅僅購買我們所需之物，那么人人所求皆能滿足。我們需要什么？你的所需依賴于你的年紀和生活方式。重新排列一下你有能力購買的物品的清單，并且將你認為我們最需要的東西排在前列：

水

食物

一件大衣

一雙運動鞋

名牌牛仔褲

紙

一個電話機

解熱鎮痛藥

洗發露

一個MP3播放機

啤酒

牙膏

一條巧克力

要是我們不需要買那么多東西，我們就無需工作那么長時間。我們可以做兼職或者將我們每天的工作時間從8個小時減至6個小時。有些人放棄收入可觀的工作到鄉村過更健康的生活，又或者到國外過更讓人興奮的日子。這就叫做“激流勇退”。家長們可以花更多的時間陪伴自己的孩子，而無業者將獲得更多的就業機會。

要是我們開始注重拯救地球多于花錢購物，我們將成為“環保人士”。身為環保人士，我們就會嘗試選擇持久耐用且更有益于環保的產品。

幾乎所有產品都是加以包裝后出售的。有些產品包裝過度，產生了更多的垃圾，消耗了更多的資源。有些則使用了可循環再用的、更有利于環保的 包裝。

下次你逛街購物的時候，想想你真正需要買的東西是什么。