"....Each day, we are voting for the world we wish... with our purse. With each purchase, we are sending out signals about the kind of world we want to live in. "

For the past 15 years, in my workshops on simpler living, I have been using the following questions to help participants shop with discernment and compassion. I would not hesitate to say that I consider similar approaches an essential ingredient of any spirituality worth its salt.

1. Do I really need this?

2. Will this purchase help me to simplify my life?

3. Why am I purchasing this?

4. What ecological impact will this have on future generations?

5. Will I get out of this object an amount of satisfaction justifying the resources used in making it? And will I use it often enough to justify the money spent on it?

6. Can I devote to the use of this object enough time to justify its purchase, without any feelings of unease or guilt?

7. Are the people who made this object, or grew these roses or mangoes, adequately paid?

8. Was this product produced in an ecologically sound manner?

9. Will the consumption of this object, or this trip, help me reinforce my life goals?

10. Can I possess or use this thing without it using or possessing me?

And remember, above all, simplifying one’s life is a source of deep joy. Uncluttering one’s existence is a very powerful spiritual tool!

© Pierre Pradervand.

The above is extracted from 'Spirituality and the Ecological Footprint' , which is in the Eco section of Hermits Bazaar. It  first appeared in the January 2009 issue of Cygnus Review.  http://www.cygnus-books.co.uk. Reproduced with thanks.