This is the type of desk I want

pic of room with japanese desk
This is the type of desk I would like to get. More and more there are reasons why I am drawn to Asian furniture. For one, it is usually far more environmental than modern furniture. A basic desk, made from a wood which is probably not too heavy, vs. for example a modern, synthetic desk made with pressed particleboard and synthetic laminate as a surface.
The shiny, clean surfaces of modern furniture are appealing, yet there’s something classic and timeless about older wood styles.
Another issue is weight. Most modern furniture is very heavy and presupposes the existence of fossil-fuel based transport. But I like the idea of furniture that could be carried or even transported by bicycle or with a wagon. Probably, in the not-too-distant future, humans will have to return to such furniture anyhow when fossil fuels become depleted.
Another thing is build quality. Particle-board laminates tend to peel and the particle-board tends to wear out over time as the chemical constituents age and break down. Wood however retains its quality and even increases in value as it ages, hence there is a substantial market for antique furniture.

The other day I was thinking about how environmentalism goes far beyond the mere fulfillment of demand, of the provision of mere material objects which meet certain criteria established as environmental.  It is a whole way of approaching everything in life and of living.  There is the idea, the ethic that we should appreciate and make the most of any resource we take.  We should not carelessly take things and not intend to make the full use of them and the most efficient and conscientious use of resources that we take.

But one sees this inefficiency and carelessness everywhere.  So many things  are designed only with extremely short-term thinking in mind.  Vehicles are designed to be sold.  Humans do not make something like a car with the idea that it will last for 40 years, that the components will be interchangeable and replaceable in the long-term with the goal of minimizing waste and resource usage.  Instead different companies make different models with non-interchangeable parts and they are designed to eventually be junked so that newer models can be sold.

This is one way that the raw destructiveness of capitalism can be seen and why environmentalism requires restrictions on the consumption of resources for the sake of conservation and efficiency.


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