Select an option below to continue reading this premium story.
Already a Honolulu Star-Advertiser subscriber? Log in now to continue reading.
Much has been written lately about the need for a new Oahu landfill site. Unfortunately, no mention has been made of the reason we need landfills to begin with: overconsumption of material goods.
The American culture we have been infected with in Hawaii, in stark contrast to indigenous cultures, is the most materialistic in the history of human civilization. We make, buy and discard far too much stuff, thinking that we can find happiness and fulfillment in material possessions. Every philosophy and spiritual tradition in human history has told us we can’t, but we don’t listen, brainwashed by advertising to buy endlessly. This has never led to happiness and meaning, and never will. Instead, it dooms us to dissatisfaction and suffering, destroying the planet in the process.
Landfills are one form of the destruction. We need to come to our senses and significantly redesign our values.
Peter Greenhill
Moiliili
EXPRESS YOURSELF
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser welcomes all opinions. Want your voice to be heard? Submit a letter to the editor.
>> Write us: We welcome letters up to 150 words, and guest columns of 500-600 words. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Include your name, address and daytime phone number.
>> Mail: Letters to the Editor, Honolulu Star-Advertiser 7 Waterfront Plaza, 500 Ala Moana, Suite #7-500 Honolulu, HI 96813
>> Contact: 529-4831 (phone), letters@staradvertiser.com, staradvertiser.com/editorial/submit-letter Opens in a new tab
