Sunday Feb 15, 2026
Sunday Feb 15, 2026
Monday, 5 January 2026 05:11 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Humanly, we can only be awake about 16–17 hours a day. This has not changed much with time. What has changed is the explosion of choices in how we spend those hours—food, entertainment, socialising, travelling, and countless sub-choices within each.
This abundance carries profound implications for the way we live today:
We are over-consuming almost everything, leaving behind a trail of idle or underutilised assets—from cars to wardrobes, appliances to apps.
To sustain this consumption, we must work harder and more competitively, which in turn increases stress. The alarming rise in lifestyle-induced non-communicable diseases is evidence of this vicious cycle.
Even if we wish to slow down, the system resists. Commercial organisations must show year-on-year growth in revenue and profit. Governments, too, chase economic expansion, borrowing more to prop up economies. Industries—from healthcare to arms and ammunition to media—thrive on pushing us to consume, fight, or sensationalise more.
By virtue of being part of this economic and commercial system, we are locked into perpetual growth. Yet it is unlikely that our environment can sustain this trajectory. Mother Nature continues to send grave signals, though some global leaders are yet to warm up to it!
The questions remains: How long can we continue this way, and what will compel us to change?
Personally, I long for a reversal toward a simpler, more sustainable way of life. The system may work against it, but that cannot be an excuse for the individual who wishes to make a change. It is about striking balance—ensuring that ambition stops short of greed, self-esteem stops short of destructive ego, and the quest for comfort stops short of materialism.
May the New Year bring enlightenment, and the courage to choose sustainability over excess.
