Environmental Responsibility, Consumerism and Personal Growth: Essays on Today's Key Issues

Protecting Our Planet: A Shared Responsibility

First of all, I would like to say that we are destroying our planet, and this is a matter that concerns everybody, but especially Western people. For many years, experts have warned the most powerful governments that our world is in danger.

Giving reasons why we are destroying our environment would take me a long time; however, I would like to list some of the reasons why we continue to ignore this problem.

• Firstly, we live in a capitalist system, which means that the main goal is to increase corporations' profits and people's needs, and so on, without taking care of what they are doing to our world.
• Secondly, I think we have received a very poor environmental education, and from my point of view this is the most important factor in order to start doing things right.
• Last but not least, governments do not take this problem seriously; they think there are other issues more important than, for example, the protection of endangered animals. To them, it is more important to waste money and time on arms.

To sum up these ideas, I think we should all take more care of our world. It is easy and simple, and future generations will be grateful to us.

The Problem of Overspending

First of all, I would like to say that it is often difficult to avoid overspending on superfluous things when you do not have enough money. In my case, I try to avoid overspending.

That said, it is a very hard problem for people who are not able to control themselves when they earn some money. But, if we are realistic, we all suffer from this condition more or less. I have a friend who usually goes shopping for clothes with another friend, and she buys without measure, to the extent that she has many T-shirts in her wardrobe that have never been used. Of course, she has a large amount of money, but in my opinion she is in serious trouble because of this compulsive buying, although I think she is not guilty but a victim.

We live in a society that rewards heavy consumerism. A very clear example is watching TV at Christmas and seeing the number of advertisements for all kinds of products. All of us should be aware of this, because nowadays the economic situation is delicate. We have serious problems with prices (oil, construction, food…), and I think it is not the time to be a compulsive buyer.

To sum up, if we want to improve our lives, we should avoid overspending on superfluous things and spend money on what is really necessary, or even help poor people if we have enough money. We would probably feel better doing that than having a new shirt inside a bag in our wardrobe.

My First Job

I had my first job when I was sixteen. It was in a hamburger restaurant. As you can imagine, it was not very pleasant.

The Uniform and Appearance Rules

First of all, you had to wear one of those ridiculous uniforms with a peaked cap. At that time I wore my hair very long, so I had to hide it under the cap (or at least try). I also had an earring that I had to hide too, with a sticking plaster (yes, amazing but true).

Schedule and Pay

The working hours and schedule changed from week to week, so you could not make plans, because you did not know which days and hours you would work the following week until the end of the current one.

The pay was not very good, but it was enough when you are sixteen and do not have to pay rent or the phone bill.

As they say: I was young and needed the money.

Book Review: Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

The last book I have read is Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. It is a love story between two young people who belong to rival families. They have to fight against their families' prejudices, and their relationship causes several problems and deaths in both families.

Romeo and Juliet decide to simulate a suicide to escape from their families, but things do not go the way they expected, and both of them die at the end.

Why I Like This Book

I like this book very much because I think it reflects very well the passion of young lovers and how powerful love can be. Even with its tragic ending, Romeo and Juliet is a beautiful story about love and loyalty, and it is still one of Shakespeare's most popular works.

Author Information

Autor: Juan Israel García Muñoz
Licenciado en Filología Inglesa por la U.C.M.
E-mail: [email protected]