realisation

Something Thailand has made me realise is that we're so extravagant in our Western ways. We waste paper and water and electricity and other resources to such unnecessary extremes. There is no such thing as 3-ply toilet paper in Thailand, nor are there many flushing toilets, much less showers. Why do we need 15 litres of water to flush away our excrement, or up to 40 litres to wash ourselves with? This type of excess is symptomatic of a type of so-called civilised behaviour that, I've come to realise, is superfluous to out existence as a species. Not that I'm going to give away all my worldly possessions, stop shaving my armpits and live the rest of my life in a hammock surviving off the land or anything, but I'm sure to make an effort to be kinder to the environment in future and be critical about the difference between 'need' and 'want'.