Things etc. I would rather not live with
In my previous entry, I sketched a list of objects I chose to forego for ecological, aesthetic, and spiritual reasons. Below are some objects (and not objects) I live with, but I'd rather not.
medicines. Many of them come in plastic packaging. Medicines are a necessity rather than something I enjoy sharing my life with.
rent. When I moved to Finland, I was offered an (subsidised) apartment near the university. It was a good option since it belonged to the university (rather than a for-profit company), and rent was cheaper than what I pay for my current apartment. The issue with it was the size, it was simply too big for my needs.
storage spaces. Apart from the fact that the apartment is owned by a for-profit company, I like the rented apartment where I live. The location is serene, and the size is good for my needs. However, this apartment has a lot of storage space, both in the apartment, in the kitchen area, and downstairs. For someone with a more "normal" amount of possessions, having storage spaces in a small studio flat is helpful, but for me it's unnecessary.
devices. The apartment came with multiple devices such as an oven, a fridge-freezer, a dishwasher, a smart home system. I would not have chosen to have any of them.
work phone and laptop. I live with two phones and two laptops due to my work.
documents. While some documents can be digitalised, others can't be, and it feels bureaucratic. For instance, I have identification documents from three countries: the UK, Sweden and Finland.
human-made fabrics. I had developed an aversion to fabrics such as polyester long before I stepped on an ecological and spiritual path of being in the world differently. This is due to my health condition: my skin often reacts negatively to human-made fabrics. When I lived in England, I could wear relatively light clothing all year round. A light jacket made from wool or even cotton would suffice. However, living in Sweden and Finland necessitates warmer clothes. Both my jacket and the vest are made from polyester. They keep me warm, though I don't like the material they are made from.
plastic packaging and objects. I don't think that it's absolutely impossible to live almost without plastic in a city like Helsinki. Here one can find almost anything or order online. However, living almost without plastic is time-consuming, it requires looking for specific things. Whenever I can, I go for a plastic free option, but sometimes I still buy products in plastic packaging, such as a dishwashing liquid.
insecurity. Insecure, short-term academic contracts are problematic. Many humans in my position try to save some money in case they become unemployed after their contract runs out or have to move to another country. For instance, as a British citizen, I cannot stay here in Finland after my contract runs out. If one's contract is permanent, one would feel more comfortable making different choices, such as owning a home rather than renting, having children, having plants, adopting a pet.
extra items. When a fellow human visited me, I had to acquire a few extra items. The visit was spontaneous and I didn't have time to contact my friends to ask if I could borrow some objects from them. While I will keep the objects I acquired in case someone visits me again, ideally such objects should be shared rather than owned by each individual or household.
upgrading tech. Usually my devices (laptop and smartphone) last around 5 years. After that time, they don't stop working but rather they cannot handle all the apps I need to run, or some apps stop working on them.
supermarkets as the only convenient option. Like many others, I buy food in a supermarket. This is not because I believe that supermarkets are the best option, but it's the most convenient one. I work full time, and living an almost perfect ecological life is extremely time-consuming. I wish there were more independent zero-waste shops in my area.
