In the ’90s, there was an animated short called “Nguyamyam”.
The Nguyamyam were the inhabitants of a planet called Pakaskas, a planet made up of edible parts such as mountains of jelly, rivers of milk and oceans of chocolate. The inhabitants loved to eat all day given all the goodness. One of the Nguyamyam name Inggalok noticed that the planet was getting smaller from all the consumption and tried to warn the others, but none took him on. Inggalok fled the planet (in a coconut spaceship no less), but the others stayed and consumed their planet into nothingness.
The video was meant to teach children about overconsumption and taking care of our precious natural resources.
This video was thirty years ago. Those children are now in their late thirties, early forties (like yours truly).
It’s obvious we’ve learned little.
We each consume far more than we need, and if we continue, we will outstrip the planet’s capabilities.
We all have enough, but we want more.
Defenders of this behaviour say that it’s natural, and capitalism is more closely tied to human nature than socialism or communism. The SARS-CoV2 virus is all-natural too, only doing what’s in its nature, but we’re here trying to stop it anyway.
So why aren’t we stopping capitalism? Or at least trying to find another way?
Perhaps we’re too much like the Nguyamyam and rather just eat for today and heck about tomorrow. Let’s hope we don’t eat away our homes too.
Watch the video:
