Koyaanisqatsi is a Hopi word meaning “life out of balance." Few terms are likely to sound or look more foreign to most of us, yet it sums up our way of life perfectly.
When you look at human beings as biological creatures, it is hard not to see that our wants are simple and dependent on other living things. In the developed world, we view ourselves in economic terms, our wants are complex, and we seek them unilaterally – regardless of what is best for other living things. We forget how simple our wants really are, only to pursue unsatisfying objectives in unsustainable ways.
I am skeptical as to whether our technologies and designer lives are improvements or degradations. In seeking things that cannot make us happy for long, we radically modify our social structures and the environment. We are like addicts for the next dollar or purchase.
Our houses are a good example of how we make products and purchases with little thought for long-term satisfaction or long-term consequences. Some houses have hollow columns on the porch and granite countertops in the kitchen, but almost all our buildings are constructed in environmentally costly ways from materials that will not stand up to time.
We do not see very much balance or honesty in such structures, or much regard for the environment. Houses like this are also evidence that we do not value being outdoors and interacting with each other enough. Interior design, fine furnishings and electronics make time spent indoors more inviting, certainly. But that is the last thing most of us need.
For optimum health and happiness, people require exercise, clean air and water, good nutrition, strong human relationships and a valued role in the groups of which they are members. These things can be met with a very low premium – just the time it takes to work a little, engage a little, live a little, and pay attention to each other. Lifestyles, diets, houses and economies like ours do not help us spend that time or pay that attention.
Unfortunately, our society puts stickers with dollar signs on everything it can and divides people into distinct roles, like the parts of a machine. When we live by these stickers to fulfill created wants of status, entertainment and convenience, we worsen the problem. When we buy more goods and services than we need, we contribute to the despoliation of the environment while distracting ourselves from what really matters. By acting out our culture’s dream, we fuel the machine.
What is truly important is meeting the needs of ourselves and each other in a way that is simple, joyful and sustainable. Let us find our way to such a life in a new way if we can. Let us not give up hope in ourselves and each other but hold onto the human capacities for ingenuity, persistence and patience. Let us find what life in balance is like. We may have never been there, but I think we will know it when we see it. I think it will feel right.
Zach Wilson is a senior studying philosophy. How do you feel about modern lifestyles? You can tell him at cw299210@ohiou.edu
