Surplus, consumidores aterrizados + Planet of the Humans

Irónico y corrosivo documental de Erik Gandini, realizado por la productora independiente ALMO de Estocolmo. Parte de un análisis del papel del consumidor actual. Una representación excepcional de la cultura antisistema. Entre una edición frenética, un constante acompañamiento musical y un inagotable juego de montajes audiovisuales, Surplus logra poner en evidencia las contradicciones del sistema a pesar que queda corto en proponer una alternativa. Este video va a cumplir unos quince annos de su realización pero es sorprendente ver como mantiene su vigencia y es un disparador para cuestionarnos profundamente nuestro rol dentro de un sistema económico que se sostiene bajo la premisa del consumismo. Desafortunadamente los chalecos amarillos en Francia, las protestas masivas en Chile, los alertas de los whistleblowers como Julian Assange o Edward Snowden de poco han servido para despertar a la sociedad hacia un nuevo paradigma.  El documental menciona el retorno a la era de piedra y termina diciendo que llegara un momento en que la gente dirá: Lo único que quiero es una vida simple y satisfactoria... Pero ese futuro no parece avecinarse...

La semana pasada un nuevo documental salio a la luz, producido por Michael Moore y dirigido por Jeff Gibbs, Planet of the Humans en el cual se expone la fragilidad de los intentos de crear fuentes de energías alternativas y la posibilidad de que tal como dice el adagio: El remedio sea peor que la enfermedad.  Al margen de toda la controversia que hay detrás de las estadísticas y los estudios los cuales puedan llegar a demostrar debilidades en los argumentos del documental... no obstante el interrogante sigue abierto y tal como en Surplus debería servir para cuestionarnos de que manera pensamos sobrevivir y obtener autorealización con un modelo social de consumo ilimitado dentro de un planeta con recursos limitados. 

Aquí comparto las reflexiones de Lila, mi esposa, luego de ver Planet of the Humans

Well I finished watching the documentary, and I agree with you that it is an excellent expose of a lot of “inconvenient truths” about how the capitalists are unfortunately in bed with the environmentalists…which actually is no surprise, as they manage to get their claws into everything that gives them profits.

The narrator’s conclusion is that obviously there is no “top down” solution, as the billionaires who run the corporations and governments have no interest in anyone’s welfare and “they are not our friends”, but rather the only hope for a solution is “bottom up”… He specifically said: “I truly believe that the path to change comes from awareness” number one, and then: “If we get ourselves under control, all things are possible.”

And then of course finally there is this quote:

“I think we're challenged as mankind has never been challenged before to prove our maturity and our mastery, not of nature, but of ourselves.”

The Silent Spring, Rachel Carson, 1963

This all leads me to reflect upon our conversation in the morning, and I truly believe you were too hasty in dismissing the possibility of a spiritual revolution, or revolution of consciousness, as a concrete way to diminish rampant consumption and its consequent damages to the environment/climate/society.

As I tried to say earlier, I made no reference to any particular philosophy or ideology or sentiment. I agree with you that those things alone do not equip a person who is full of desires with the fortitude to withstand the onslaught of tantalizing products/services that capitalistic corporations push on everyone.

What I’m referring to is a sincere person whose spiritual spark has been ignited, by whatever source, whose eyes have been opened to see all the horrific effects of materialism in the world, and who therefore adopts and practices concrete spiritual technologies that actually bring about tangible changes in one’s consciousness, in one’s heart and mind.

For example, whenever I practice mantra meditation, it gives me a type of mental discipline that allows me to be much more productive in my day. It also provides me with an emotional stability that allows me to keep my cool and not be so reactive but rather more calm and detached. And finally, it genuinely reduces my desires for enjoyment of material things/activities/etc. I truly lose my taste for what I used to crave before.

It’s not the case that I am not a materialistic consumer because I am a simple person. I certainly wasn’t always like this. And I can tell you honestly that I am now a simple person because of my spiritual practices and spiritual understanding. And the more I engage in that spiritual technology, the more substantial results I get. And conversely, when I don’t engage then the opposite happens…I’m on the mental platform, I’m emotionally reactive and I’m full of desires to enjoy.

Harinam sankirtan is what resonates with me and gives me results, but of course there are countless varieties of spiritual technologies such as Vipassana meditation, or even Sadhguru’s “Inner Engineering”, etc. etc., and if a person seriously and sincerely practices, many of them result in cultivating self-control, expanding awareness of oneself as a spiritual being and not just a material body/mind, increasing one’s sensibilities to others and hence empathy and compassion, broadening one’s sense of connection and oneness with other living entities, consequently increasing one’s capacity to think before acting, and think in particular about the effects/consequences of one’s actions, whether beneficial or detrimental, upon others. This clearly has a profound influence on how/what one consumes.