I now live and work in Australia.
This is a first world country. We have:
No distant, polluted and scarce water source,
but clean, safe and readily available tap water;
No dim-lit, short-lasting and fire-hazardous candles or ever-changing, weather-dependent and outdoor moonlight,
but bright, cheap and readily available electrical lights;
No smoky and seasonal nature’s leaves and branches,
but clean burning, cheap and readily available natural gas;
No smelly, dirty and outdoor outhouses,
but clean, hygienic and indoor toilets;
No hazardous and unsupervised ponds and lakes,
but safe and watched swimming pools;
No time-consuming, style limited and hand-made knitting,
but labour saving, mass-produced clothing rich in style;
No occasional serves of free-range eggs and chicken,
but daily consumption of caged and free-range eggs and chicken;
No occasional serve of expensive meat,
but daily consumption of cheap meat;
No slow-acting, hit-and-miss and sparsely available traditional herbal remedies,
but fast-curing, pin-point accurate and readily available modern pharmaceutical medicine;
No time consuming and labour-intensive bicycle and legs,
but fast moving and labour-saving cars, trains and planes;
No material scarcity from agriculturalism,
but material abundance due to industrialisation;
No villages and open spaces,
but cities, high rises and parks;
No clean air and blue sky due to lack of industries,
but clean air and blue sky due to better technologies that minimise pollution;
No outdoor play due to lack of choices,
but a combination of outdoor play and indoor play including watching TV;
No talking face-to-face due to lack of technology,
but a combination of mobile phones, social media and talking face-to-face;
No poverty due to lack of development,
but prosperity due to industrialisation as a result of good governance, sound economic management and strong work ethics.
People are rich,
but unhappy.
What have we gained from development,
I wonder if we are better or worse off?
– Zhen EX
BLISS RITUALS 