Less is more in twenty nineteen

A FEW YEARS ago I decided to prepare my own Christmas turkey. I’d never done one before but in 2015 I decided I iz man so I must cook my own turkey. That’s what Christmas is all about, isn’t it? Turkey, ham, sorrel, grog, traffic etc?

This was immediately a stupid decision because I’m not particularly fond of turkey. I’ve always found the meat to have either an overly sinewy or dry texture. Secondly, I have no expertise in the preparation of this bird for human consumption.

I’ll spare you the details of the thawing and basting. I thought two and a half hours in the oven would have been enough. After five hours the procedure started to feel more like a cremation than baking.

The turkey was removed from the oven with zero fanfare. After a cooling period, I cut into the bird and made a grisly discovery. I was standing over what looked more like an autopsy than a carving. The legs and thighs were cooked to perfection, but the rest of the bird’s flesh was carnation pink. I also discovered a sealed plastic bag of giblets in the chest cavity of this tortured turkey.

What that $300 disaster taught me is that, like many others, I too succumbed to the pressures of keeping up with Christmas traditions. Many of us get caught up in a maelstrom of stress, spending, cooking and entertaining. All this is meant to project an illusion of well-being, success or worse, a misguided expression of love and affection.

In the enduring environment of a stagnated economy in TT, the typically frenzied atmosphere of shopping this year was even more subdued than 2017. With continuing jobs losses and business declines, many people went into the Christmas season with an uncertainty that will only deepen as the new year approaches. One ex-Petrotrin worker was quoted in the newspaper saying that Christmas will be tough and there will only be one gift per person.

While the one per cent has greater immunity to the vagaries of the struggling economy... wait, I apologise for the use of that term “one per cent.” It perpetuates a harmful stereotype that further deepens divisions in society. So the parasitic oligarchy may not have to cut back as much as the rest of us serfs, yet we somehow process cautious spending and reduced consumption as deprivation.

There are, though, numerous benefits in adopting the “less is more” approach throughout the year. Perhaps now is the time to fully appreciate the value of spending more time and less money on the important things in life like relationships, personal and professional goals, and building the sort of communities and society we all want to live in. Granted, it may sound corny and you can’t eat, wear or show off any of those ideals, but how much stuff do we really need?

A recent study in the United States revealed that 60 per cent of the people surveyed said they would spend more time with friends and family during the season if they didn’t have to worry about gifts. So the unseen pressure of gift-giving actually keeps people apart.

Additionally, the study showed that nearly 70 per cent of Americans would abandon gift-giving altogether if friends and family were on board with the idea. There are no equivalent studies in TT because in this country we doh study nuttin’.

In facing the new year, just imagine how our lives could be enhanced by the minimalist principles of tempered consumption. We’d all eat less, save money, reduce waste, make the most of what we already have and enrich our lives with experiences rather than things.

In this sort of world, there’d be fewer fireworks on New Year’s Eve, which is essentially a pretty way of burning money that torments animals, the elderly and the generally crotchety.

Just imagine if we could all lead simpler lives less dictated by conspicuous consumption. We’d find ourselves surrounded by moments, relationships and fulfilment that only appreciate in value, rather than cars, clothes, electronics and other items that tend to lose their shine and appeal fairly quickly.

As 2019 beckons, I wish everyone a prosperous New Year filled with more love, laughter and hope and less junk that pollutes the earth, our minds and our lives.