Overconsumption

Who hasn’t heard the term, but who has really thought about it?

Guruko, who was very intrigued by the human race on Earth, was once again looking through the magical mirror at their civilization.

“They are quite interesting living beings, aren’t they?” said Cha Cha, her platypus companion, who had just walked into the room and saw her once again watching how Earth was faring.

“Yes, it is very paradoxical, though—how they are able to be so smart at times, and so blind to the truth at others.”

“Do you have an example in mind?”

“I was just looking at how they are now able to produce countless goods with no real value, only for them to end up as more garbage that continuously pollutes their planet. They still don’t realize that this overconsumption is only hurting themselves, by damaging little by little the only home they have and share with each other…”

“And instead of trying to find a solution together, just as we did before when the Five Elements were still battling each other, every country thinks it is better than the others…”

“You paint a pretty dark picture there. What about the good part?” asked Cha Cha.

“Well, just as we have the StarDust here, they all have something within them that can be grown as well. And this can be the key to them finally realizing what can be done to make their world a better place,” said Guruko, with hope in her eyes.

“Let’s hope they realize it before it’s too late for them, then…” concluded Cha Cha.


Our latest tales

  • A Shared Pool of Willpower

    A Shared Pool of Willpower

    The StarDust, like all things, is governed by rules. With Vati’s guidance, the Seven Shapes soon came to understand this. And one of these rules concerned Willpower, and how its use was like drawing from a shared pool. Whenever an Esper used their will to take on tasks that were frustrating or required deep focus,

    Read more

  • Little by Little

    Little by Little

    This was one of the mottos of Kenko, the Shape of Health. “A bit of exercise every day is far more effective in the long run than one full day of training, followed by months of nothing.” Now that the StarDust is known by all the Espers, it makes complete sense. Shala always reminds the

    Read more

  • Ask Questions

    Ask Questions

    Eklea and Vati soon became very good friends. Eklea, the Shape of Awareness, always loved asking questions, which came to her mind as swiftly as her Element of Lightning. In Vati, the Shape of Wisdom, she found a companion who would always listen and think along with her. Vati was often surprised by the questions

    Read more

  • Innocence

    Innocence

    The Seven Shapes understood that for the Espers to act in unison, there needed to be shared values and goals — a common foundation for a new beginning. Gurumin, the Shape of Empathy, became a symbol of what must be protected, and of why working together was the only way forward. Her innocence was admired

    Read more

  • I Want to Know

    I Want to Know

    Just as being able to say “I don’t know” is a sign of wisdom, wanting to know—rather than passively accepting things as truth—is yet another mark of it. “It is so easy to accept facts as they are, without trying to understand whether they are true or the reasons behind them,” taught Vati, the Shape

    Read more

  • Triple Point

    Triple Point

    Reflections on how to build a world with harmony at its center led the Seven Shapes to place balance at the heart of the matter. Atma, the Shape of Balance—born from the fusion of all Five Elements and the discovery of the StarDust—was understood to be the key to solving this challenge. They contemplated the

    Read more

  • A Decisive Time

    A Decisive Time

    Shala and Vati discussed extensively the development of StarDust throughout the lifetime of an Esper. One of their conclusions was that even before the birth of a new Esper, the time spent in the mother’s womb had already begun to shape what its future StarDust would eventually become. Broadly speaking, childhood is the “decisive time.”

    Read more

  • Beliefs

    Beliefs

    We now understand that humans are drawn to stories. Long before the digital era—or even before writing—knowledge was passed down through generations by stories told aloud. Whenever someone tells a story, it is no longer reality but a fiction that carries beliefs within it. The natural fear of danger within our species makes us adopt

    Read more