CHANGE OUR HABITS; NOT OUR CLIMATE With Guest RACHEL YU-YING NG, Malaysia and UK

Smitten By Faith Issue # 0016 20th November 2021 Reflections on Climate Change November Series

Today’s guest, RACHEL YU-YING NG a Teacher and Artist is a graduate from Durham University and Emmanuel College, Cambridge. Recently, she completed her Diploma in Education at Emmanuel ‘attending’ most of this precious post-graduate period in lockdown at Cambridge during the height of the Pandemic.  Sadly, none of us could fly in from Malaysia (where Rachel grew up) to be with her or attend her graduation. But the plucky Rachel carried on with her blithe spirit and today she is now teaching - her first job- at a school in Enfield, London. Rachel is the daughter of my cousin, Karen and ever since she was a child, I have adored this very precocious little girl who wanted to be me - and that included writing and roaming the world. Born in Malaysia, she says that “...for as long as I can remember I have wanted to be a writer, leave home and spread my wings somewhere else in this big wide world”. For her summer job, a few years ago, Rachel was so determined to work in Tokyo that she studied Japanese and then went to Japan spending 2 months on her own in Tokyo working as an intern. When I zoom-called to see if she was alright coping all by herself in this huge city, I had the answer in the huge smile in her face. Rachel loves Japan and Japanese culture so much that she had the time of her life absorbing everything about Japan. Just as in my case, Japan too is seared in her heart. When Rachel is not busy writing or teaching, she draws! A wonderful artist, Rachel did the illustrations for my friend Noriko Barrow’s book. ‘The Irreplaceable’ which I featured last week, a book which brought together two of the most positive people I know – generations apart – but so close in spirit .

Today’s article by Rachel is the third in the November Reflections on climate change. Earlier, we  heard from the ‘adults’ – Maria Jose Pereira and Noriko Barrow. So, for the last 2 reflections on this subject I asked two millennials for their views : Rachel Ng and Lim Hui-Lin ( on 27th Nov) will share with us their youthful perspectives and how they feel about inheriting the climate change mess. So, over now to Rachel.

________________________________________________________________

RACHEL YU-YING NG

Kuala Lumpur and London                                 November 20th, 2021

The saying goes that the only constant is change, but climate change is one that is spiralling too quickly and too dangerously out of control, and I wonder what it will take to finally shock people (myself included) into taking the necessary measures to save the only home we have ever known. Does it have to affect us directly before we even begin to take this seriously?

Many experts argue that the onus shouldn’t be on individuals to change their personal habits, but rather on large corporations and governments who account for the vast majority of carbon emissions and deforestation. These experts champion largescale systemic changes rather than personal ones, and complain that our capitalistic world is obsessed with economic growth at the expense of environmental growth when it should really be the other way around. They argue that big oil companies need to recognize their complicity in the climate problem and take responsibility for it, and governments need to begin taking action and implementing practical measures rather than just talking about it.

I agree with all of this, to an extent. I think it is no secret that it would be near impossible to achieve lasting improvements to our climate without making significant systemic reformations. But I also think that their argument carries a misleading suggestion that we as individuals can now just kick up our feet and wait for the actual big players to solve this problem for us. The fact that systemic changes are needed should not absolve the personal responsibility that we each owe towards the planet.

We mustn’t forget that capitalism goes hand in hand with consumerism, and we are each responsible for our own excessive consumption. High Street designer companies produce so much only because we ask for so much. Although it is also true that these companies utilize advertisements and influencers to artificially create that demand in the first place, the fact of the matter is that we do have control over ourselves and what we choose to do with our money. No one is forcing us to buy any of these things or keep up with the latest trends – our ‘fear of missing out’ may be difficult to suppress in the heat of the moment but it is nonetheless possible to relegate this to the back burner. After all, in the grand scheme of things, how much will this FOMO really matter?

So yes, while it may be true that systemic reformations must be made in order to have a lasting impact, it is also true that right now I am the only thing I have the most control over. As I am right now, I may not have the political foothold to force companies to shift to greener alternatives, but I can control my own habits and I can adapt them for a more sustainable lifestyle. Surely there will be a damaging knock-on effect on the capitalistic production line if more people realised this and began similarly reducing their consumption. A quote I spotted at the Natural History Museum in London very aptly sums up this sentiment: “Millions doing it imperfectly is better than one person doing it perfectly.”

Admittedly, it will be tough. Just this morning I contemplated buying yet another jumper simply because I felt like the other three I already own (all of which are perfectly functional and fashionable by the way) have now grown stale and boring since I use them almost daily. God forbid I wear them more than once to work this week. Then I considered shopping around for a new coat because the four I already have are apparently not good enough for me anymore.

I think this dangerously insatiable mindset (I’m certain I’m not the only one) is definitely fuelled and exacerbated by the host of fashionable influencers I see on my daily Instagram feed who all peddle the latest winter trends and activewear. I will be the first to admit that I am extremely susceptible to this sort of extravagance, and I enjoy living vicariously through the reels of people who embody this much-coveted lifestyle wherein they never have to wear the same outfit twice. In fact, I must confess I had a bit of an activewear addiction at one point whilst at university and have now amassed a collection big enough to be able to wear a completely different gym outfit everyday for at least a week. Reflecting on this now makes me wither away a little.

Lately, however, I am increasingly aware of the dark and dangerous side of consumerism that manifests itself in all these snappy reels of people showing off their latest ‘hauls’ from Zara, SHEIN or other enticingly affordable high-street brands. It worries me. Just how much of this stuff will actually be worn before they are then disposed of in landfills? Just how much water pollution and carbon emissions have already been created by the dye and polyester used in these textiles? Just how much stuff do we really need to be happy, when our basic needs have already been met?

I wonder when it will be enough.

Major fashion and consumer brands everywhere are now marketing themselves as ‘conscious’, ‘eco-friendly’, ‘sustainable’ and all the other climate-justice buzzwords under the sun. It is clear that these big players recognize the growing demand for better alternatives and are determined to capitalize off it by smuggling in ‘green’ keywords that would allay the conscience of the growing eco-conscious population. But again, it is profit growth that drives them, not environmental welfare, and it is no secret that these so-called ‘sustainable’ fashion ranges are actually no better (if not worse) for the environment than their ‘unsustainable’ counterparts. In many cases, they make empty promises to work with greener textile factories that allegedly use less water, and often stay silent and selectively mute when pressed to be more transparent about what exactly makes their new garments sustainable and eco-friendly. That said, however, they certainly don’t shy away from boldly announcing a new fashion line almost every week.  

I hear about these issues so much that it is easy to become desensitized to the true gravity of the situation and to allow these complaints about climate change to fade into background noise. Eventually it becomes easier to just tune out and live in blissful ignorance, and to believe that you have nothing to do with this and can therefore do nothing about it.

But this ignorance will be our own undoing.

Therefore, I am determined to acknowledge my own complicity in this problem. (A quick survey of my wardrobe will tell you just how big a part of this problem I am.) Acknowledgement is nothing without action, so I am also teaching myself to be more aware of these artificially created wants that arise every time an ad pops up that promises I could be the very person I dream of being if I just buy their matching designer sets. What these brands are really selling are not products but fiction: stories we tell ourselves of the person we will be if we obtain these items that are inherently meaningless. They are meaningless until we give them this arbitrary and groundless narrative that bestows so much power on them, so much so that they stifle us in this strong chokehold and inspire such feelings of restlessness and angst when we cannot get them.

Learn to recognize the fiction and realise that that is precisely what it is – just a story, a lie, an illusion we keep deluding ourselves with. No, I will not become an athlete if I buy a hundred sets of gym wear. No, I won’t become that ‘put-together’ adult I so dream of being if I have that elaborate organiser set. No, I won’t be more successful if I get that coat that screams respectability. Every change I dream of achieving has to come from within first.  

One of the reasons we endlessly pursue these objects is because we think it will make us happy. And in a way it does. When that package from Amazon finally arrives there is always a moment of thrill, a sensational high spurred by the prospect of having something new and shiny to add to our growing collection of new and shiny things. But that ‘happiness’ is fleeting. The high doesn’t last, and before we know it we are on the hunt again for the next thing that will return us to that momentary high. It really is like being an addict.

This is why practicing gratitude is so important. Learn to be content with the things you already have. Be conscious about the good they serve and the joy they bring to you. Be intentional about using them so each and every moment spent with these objects are moments of gratitude towards and recognition of the value they have. This keeps them from being boring.  And I promise, this long-term contentment will be more fulfilling and satisfying than the fleeting high of a new purchase. You will be happier this way.

When we have the luxury and privilege to choose, I think we should always choose to cultivate gratitude and minimalism over capitalism and consumerism.

This is a stance inspired by my recent holiday trip to Norway. For a first-world country so rich and wealthy as to afford to luxuriate in all the material indulgences of their wildest dreams, they have chosen instead to reinvest this wealth into what they have recognized as their two biggest assets: the natural world and their people. They have shown how simplicity and luxury can go hand in hand, and have redefined what it means to ‘live a life of luxury’ – a life that is in harmony with nature, that has a deep reverence for a world beyond ourselves, and that is happy and content with everything they are lucky enough to receive in this world. Of course, that doesn’t mean they have foregone basic necessities like transportation, clothes, housing and simple luxuries like designer items. Far from it. In fact, they have upgraded these luxuries so that they can achieve a lifestyle that is compatible with nature, a lifestyle that has mastered the use of human advancements and technology in conjunction with the natural world that never allows the former to eclipse the latter. Their world-famous Fjord cruises, for example, have been upgraded to zero-emission, all-electric, carbon-fibre vessels (regally termed the ‘Future of the Fjords’) that can bring people closer to nature without damaging it.

It is this sort of lifestyle I am looking to cultivate for myself. One that chases meaningful experiences rather than material expenses, and that decentralises my own individual importance in this world.

In this way, slowly but surely, I will reduce my own toxic consumerism. Whilst it is a miniscule positive change, it is still a step in the right direction regardless. Others may dissent that it’s a pointless endeavour since it doesn’t do much more than a dent for climate justice, but at least it’s something. At least I can be less of an accomplice in this callous assault of our planet.

As another saying goes: I might be part of the problem, but I am definitely part of the solution.

________________________________________________________________

Editor’s Note :

Dear Reader, thank you for reading this weekly edition of SMITTEN BY FAITH. 

ALL articles in every issue are FREE.

For those of you who upgraded to be a PAID Subscribers for US$ 60.00 a year, thank you so much ! All proceeds go to the Regina Apostolorum Foundation to promote Catholic higher education. 

PAID Subscribers will also receive the digital copy of the recent book by Joan Foo Mahony, ‘LATE HAVE I LOVED THEE’ ( see the bitly link available only to Paid Subscribers ) and at the end of 2021, you will receive via Bitly link, VOLUME ONE 2021 of Smitten By Faith, a DIGITAL COMPILATION of each year’s articles. Paid Subscribers will also receive additional exclusive material from time to time.