The Pandemic of Excess

By Tshering Dorji (Mr Bhutan)

The world as I see it:

“I try to find myself in things, but i keep losing myself.”

We inhabit a world that is intricately connected, deeply complex, and increasingly unpredictable. A world of extreme abundance and heart wrenching deprivation. A world where a few influence the many, connected by roads, ships, planes, and the internet, yet divided by ideologies, religions, cultures, and nationalism. Invisible borders on maps have justified the killing of millions.

And yet, one force unites us all, the relentless pursuit to own and consume more. Regardless of who we are, where we live, what language we speak, or what faith, sex, gender, or nationality we claim, we share an insatiable craving for more. More money, more wealth, more possessions, more experiences. Economies thrive on the notion of growth. Growth is constantly measured, proudly displayed, relentlessly pursued, and globally admired. And growth, as we know it, depends on consumption. The idea of “enough” has all but vanished.

We measure one another by the number of things we own and treat each other according to this silent hierarchy of net worth. We chase happiness through new things and novel experiences, perpetually seeking our “best selves” in what lies just beyond our immediate reach. Perpetually hungry, this endless pursuit comes at a staggering cost, the cost of stress, worry, compromised health, and, more importantly, our planet.

This planet was never designed to satisfy the insatiable greed of Homo sapiens alone. We are but a fortunate outcome of evolution, endowed with the power of reason and mass communication. These gifts set us apart but do not make us inherently superior to the countless other creatures that share this Earth. We are not masters of the planet, but a very lucky ape entrusted with the responsibility to care for it in the best interest of all life. Yet one glance at the current state and trajectory of our world reveals a stark truth. We are failing fast and miserably.

Making the Invisible Visible: The Cycle and Cost of Our Consumption

Stage 1: Extraction

The life cycle of everything we consume begins with the Earth itself. Raw materials such as metals, minerals, timber, and water are extracted through mining, deforestation, and the rerouting of natural waterways. These activities scar the land, destroy ecosystems, and deplete finite resources. Forests are felled. Rivers are dammed or polluted, altering entire ecosystems.

This stage often occurs far from the consumer’s view, rendering its true cost invisible. Most of what we consume comes from finite natural sources. Every object we own hides a vastly larger material footprint, often tens to hundreds of times its visible weight, buried deep in the Earth from where it was taken.

But extraction is only the beginning.

Stage 2: Manufacturing and Production

Once raw materials are extracted, they are transported, often across continents, to factories where they are processed into the goods we consume. This stage is resource intensive and relies heavily on energy, much of it still derived from fossil fuels. Toxic by products, chemical runoff, and greenhouse gases are common outcomes, while the true environmental toll remains hidden behind finished products displayed on glittering store shelves.

Far from our sight, the weak and desperate are often exploited. They work under inhumane conditions for wages that barely meet survival. Profit remains the primary objective, and human dignity is frequently the price.

Stage 3: Distribution and Retail

These goods are then packaged, often in single use plastics, and transported thousands of miles to reach stores and warehouses. This global distribution network relies on fuel intensive shipping, trucking, and air freight, contributing significantly to carbon emissions. By the time a product reaches our hands, its ecological footprint has already grown enormous.

Stage 4: Consumption

This is the stage most of us recognize, buying, using, and discarding. Few pause to consider the resources, energy, and human labor already spent to produce a single item. Our consumption habits, fueled by advertising and social pressure, prioritize convenience and novelty over durability and necessity. The result is a culture of disposability.

Look around you. We are surrounded by a sea of ownership that steals our energy, sleep, space, and health, and yet we continue to grasp for more.

The age of excess has marched alongside an alarming rise in cancer and heart disease, the two leading causes of death in our time. Almost every reader here has experienced the loss of a loved one to one of them.

Stage 5: Waste and Disposal

The final stage of the life cycle is where our responsibility often ends, at the trash can. Most discarded items end up in landfills or incinerators, releasing toxins and greenhouse gases. Even recycling, though beneficial, is far from a perfect solution. It requires energy and cannot fully recover all materials. Plastics, electronics, and other waste continue to pollute ecosystems for generations.

The Hidden Costs

The life cycle of consumption thrives on our ignorance. Each stage carries hidden environmental and social costs, from deforestation and pollution to labor exploitation and resource depletion. Every product we buy carries a story, one that begins long before it reaches us and continues long after we discard it.

The great irony is this. Despite all that we own, there is little evidence that we are meaningfully happier than those who lived with far less. What has measurably increased instead is chronic stress, anxiety, and lifestyle disease.

So What Can We Do?

At a global level, policies, awareness campaigns, clean energy, and new technologies can help, but they are slow, complex, and often decades away from meaningful impact.

I offer no perfect solution, only a personal path inspired by one of my hero’s aphorisms, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” It remains the quickest and most reliable path to restoring both humanity and the Earth.

1. Right understanding:

Make a sincere effort to study and understand your needs and consumption. Know the story behind what you buy and own. Be mindful of the things you desire, the experiences you seek, and the habits you repeat. Live with your eyes and mind wide open.

2. Learn to consume less:

This is the most powerful step toward ending the exploitation of Mother Earth and its many inhabitants. Your consumption dictates what is produced, advertised, and normalized. When we consume less, businesses eventually produce less. One simple yet powerful step is to reduce exposure to shops, advertisements, social media, and television.

3. Resist the urge to flaunt:

If our need to display our possessions fades, our desire to accumulate them weakens proportionately. This insight requires reflection and restraint, but it distances us from endless comparison.

4. Reduce, reuse, and recycle:

Use items for multiple purposes. Repair when possible. Recycle what you can. Refrain from single use items such as plastic bags and PET bottles. Asking yourself, “Do I really need twenty pairs of shoes to be happy?” often leads to better choices.

5. Find yourself in love:

There is ample empirical, scientific, and spiritual evidence that our happiness is most deeply shaped by meaningful human relationships. Money and possessions influence happiness only up to the point where basic needs are met. The person with the most things does not win. Time spent with people who bring us joy is our best investment.

Consuming mindfully will allow our planet and its inhabitants to heal, and free humanity from sacrificing its energy, time, and families in the endless pursuit of more. What we chase and own ultimately enslaves us.

Freedom has always been the fertile ground upon which the seeds of joy sprout.

May you seek freedom, in mind, body, and spirit, above all.