So what’s happening?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few months, you must be familiar with at least some of the news: the US announced they want to take over Canada and Greenland, they have started a full trade war with most of the world, and they are slashing through human rights like there’s no tomorrow. They started cutting education and science funding, trying to close any possible organisation that deals with a better future.

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Besides that, it seems that they are willing to trade anything for money and for power, including human lives. Not only in their own country, but also on foreign lands, such as Ukraine - not a surprise here, if we’re looking back at all the “freedom” they have delivered in the past. These guys know nothing but fear mongering and money. Their power only lies in people giving them what they want: attention.

Since the start of Trump's second term, we have witnessed attacks on democracy and common sense from all directions. We have seen glimpses of fascism attempting to resurface.

These recent events have revealed the true nature of many American people and companies. From tech giants endorsing controversial policies to individuals supporting divisive figures, the US has shown itself to be an unreliable ally.

The Awakening of Europe

The circus that has been going on has finally woken us up, and leaders have also started working on moving away from this US dependency.

The industrialised world’s most broken nation shouldn’t have any influence on anyone. For decades, we have been inundated with American culture—films, music, and consumer goods. This has created a status quo that is challenging to break. Or so they want us to believe. However, the tide is finally turning.

Rammstein even made a song about all this, years ago, mocking our American dependency and altered views. Their music has often been a critique of societal issues, and this one is spot on.

Communities are forming all around to boycott US products and companies, a movement that is gaining traction on social media and beyond.

The Power of People

One effective way to counter these influences is by leveraging economic power. The US frequently boasts about its economic superiority, largely due to its inflated GDP and stock market. However, this facade is crumbling as protests erupt across Europe, signaling a growing awareness and resistance.

The boycott movement aims to divest money from the US and reinvest it in Europe, reducing our dependency on American goods. This shift is not just about economic independence but also about rediscovering the quality and durability of European products. Many are surprised to find that their daily products and applications are predominantly owned by US companies.

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The Results So Far

So does the boycott work? Generally, yes. We can see the stocks dropping. We also see a lot of volunteers emerging with better alternatives, now that we’re willing to look elsewhere.

But, first and foremost, it’s important that this works for us.

We shouldn’t be giving our data to big giants, and we should be taking better care of ourselves online - and also offline. With better, higher quality products that enable us to consume less, but better.

We should embrace our local cultures - and we have plenty of different ones here in Europe.

Practical Steps

So what should we choose?

I’ve been having this discussion quite often lately, and there are generally some easy-to-implement changes that we can make, to move away from American dependency. And it can start with something that all of us use: digital services.

After years of working in the technology sector, I can only give you one advice: try to avoid big tech as much as you can.

Ditching Windows can be incredibly simple, and it depends mostly on what you’re using your PC for. There are plenty of Linux distributions that you can choose from.

Out of the most used applications, even suites like the Microsoft Office can be easily replaced with the open-source and free alternatives such as Libre Office (Germany).

Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo, all known to harvest personal data like there’s no tomorrow (thank you Edward Snowden for revealing this), can be replaced by a more private alternative: ProtonMail (Switzerland) or Tutamail (Germany).

Let’s ditch the “Google it” when searching for something online. Try Ecosia, from Germany, that also plants trees for your searches. Alternatively, give Qwant (France) a go.

Try DeepL (Germany) instead of Google translate.

Replace Google Chrome with Firefox (don’t forget to install uBlock) or Mullvad Browser (Sweden).

If you don’t want to ditch social media altogether, give Mastodon (Germany) a try, instead of Twitter. Try Lemmy (Germany), instead of Reddit. Give pixelfed a shot, to replace Instagram.

It’s ironic that I’m preaching this on Substack, another American platform. But the website will be moved on Ghost, an open-source alternative, in the near future.

Furthermore, avoid American fast-food chains - they’re usually bad or your health anyway - and support local businesses, or better yet, learn how to cook.

Be mindful of where your money is invested. Avoid banks that fund harmful industries.

This is a huge topic, and it’s worth looking into it specifically because most banks use our money to fund fossil fuel extractions, deforesting, and other damaging enterprises. Although I am not a fan of investing and the whole concept behind it, I had automatic savings that were going to Mutual Funds via ING. I sold them all recently, and I am not the only one doing this.

Lastly, for physical items, we need to analyse our relationship with consumerism. We shouldn’t just throw everything that we own now and replace it with alternatives, but we should ask ourselves whether we really need each item. Use it as long as possible. Repair it. Only if you really need to replace a product, then do look at products manufactured elsewhere, and do look out to some certain degree of ethics. H&M or Zara may be European, but they’re one of the most distructive companies, and the poster brands of fast fashion. Do look at higher quality alternatives, and take care of them.

As a European myself, BuyFromEU was a great way to find a like minded community. As mentioned, I’ve been doing this for years - it initially started for privacy reasons. But bit by bit, when I needed to replace something, I chose an alternative that was not putting money in the tech giants’ pockets or any industry that’s harming our planet.

Check out my previous entry on consumerism here:

The Future

This movement is not just about the present but also about securing a better future. Open-source solutions and ethical consumerism are the way forward. We must take advantage of this raised awareness to stop mindless consumption and protect our planet for future generations.

Conclusion

The recognition of European products and the boycott of American goods are part of a larger shift towards ethical consumerism and independence. This is not just about the US but about any entity that works against our planet. We must be more mindful and intentional in our purchases.

Let's embrace this awareness and make conscious choices that benefit our communities and the environment.

And remember: it’s a marathon, not a race. It’s not about “sticking it” to the US, it’s about freeing ourselves from the tentacles of consumerism, social media and imperialism. But throughout the years, I realised that perfect is the enemy of good.

Our Planet and our future generations will thank us.

If you’re interested in joining the community:

The subreddit BuyFromEU - we are looking at open-source European alternatives such as Lemmy, and Mastodon, too.

The GoEuropean website, built 100% by volunteers from the community.

I’m really curious what you think about this. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Prompted by recently reading Meik Wiking’s book, “The art of making memories. How to create and remember happy moments”, I decided to better document my life.

Later in my life, I’ll thank myself for this.

Even now, when looking back through old photos from my childhood, I’m reliving these moments. We also have quite an extensive video archive of celebrations from when I was growing up, and watching them always brings up so many memories.

So how can we better remember?

Probably the most personal thing to do is keeping a journal with your thoughts. It can be as detailed as you want, it doesn’t necessarily have to be full of your secrets, unless, of course, you want to.

Personally, I started with this about a year ago, in a digital format. I’ve had days when I didn’t have the time to reach my laptop, or completely forgot, but it’s still amazing going back to some days from my past and reading the notes.

A journal is a great thing to have even whilst traveling. Whilst the photos can capture the visual information, a journal can contain what you were feeling and thinking. The best part is that writing in your journal can be done at the end of the day when the memory is still fresh, such that it doesn't interfere with the moment.

What should you write about?

How did you feel? What are your plans for the day? What are you grateful for that day? No matter how bored you are, or how uneventful a day may be, try to write at least a few words, until you turn it into a habit. It will soon come to you naturally.

The low hanging fruit. Your phone.

You carry it with you almost constantly, so why not use it for good? You don’t need the latest model, you don’t need a mirrorless camera or a DSLR. I promise, your phone will do just fine. Use it to take photos for yourself, not social media.

And don’t just prioritise highlights. We do not only need to remember the memorable and once in a life time events, but also the mundane things. Going to a park. A movie. Going out for an ice cream. Capture everyday moments, too. Even though the mundane might feel boring right now, in a few decades, these photos will most definitely feel like special moments.

And when you’re on a trip and want to take pics. Take them. Take a bunch of them.

But then, after taking it out of your system, enjoy the moment. Breathe it in.

Create showcases

Make some short videos, only for you, that you can rewatch later. You don’t need to post them on social media, but you can make cute reels for yourself and your gallery.

There’s no limit to this, really.

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Curating your media collection

Now that you have a solid base, it’s time to actually start going through your memories.

Choose a cloud provider, and curate your collection. I’ve been guilty of using five different ones, having photos all over the place, and a lot of duplicates.

Whilst it’s been a pain to migrate all of them on a single account, (I’m looking at you, Google Photos), having them all in a huge album makes it so much easier to get through my photos and videos.

There are tons of guides out there on how to migrate from different services. Some might export the photos without the metadata (the details about when the photo was taken, which are quite important), so make sure you pay attention before deleting them from the old provider. If any needs manual input for the time adjust, just copy it from the old one.

Print photos, highlights

That’s how we used to have them not too long ago.

Sometimes, having a physical photo feels much more authentic than watching it on a screen. Some even prefer it that way. So choose the photos you like and hang them on your walls. Or create an album that you can go through from time to time.

If before we were stuck with whatever embarrassing, weird photos our parents would’ve taken on a film camera, now we have a lot of digital photos that we can choose from and print our highlights.

Now that the technical side is set, how do we actually create moments that we remember better?

Try removing your electronics for one night.

Spend the evening with a partner, friend or family, play a board game, or just talk.

I’ll make a full list for a Digital Detox, (if you want to check it out, make sure to subscribe) but here are some highlights:

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Turn off all notifications. Start by trying the Do Not Disturb feature on your phone. Start removing notifications for anything not important: all the apps trying to grab your attention. No, you don’t need notifications from amazon telling you there’s a sale.

Remove apps. If you’re using social media and other attention grabbers on your phone, delete them from your home screen. Leave them in the app drawer, to add some friction next time you want to use them.

Even better, use the search function and type down the name of the app you want to open - sometimes, you won’t even want to go through this.

Use the greyscale/black and white mode - it will make your phone less enticing.

Being without our phones or without electricity can make us pay attention. With no phones and no TV, there are fewer sirens luring us in and grabbing our focus and we are more in control of where we place our attention.

At the end of the game or discussion, you’ll notice it was enjoyed much better when all of your focus was on it.

In conclusion…

In an era of impatience and instant gratification, one way to make things more memorable is to delay your arrival. If you have the time (not when you’re rushing to catch a train!), consider taking the long route. If you have spent five hours hiking to the peak, it makes the experience greater than if you took the fifteen minute cable car up there. For some trips, it may also make sense to take a train instead of a plane. You will get there slower, but you may have a much more enjoyable journey. Trains are the tantra of travel!

The book has a great revelation at some point: “happiness is often found when three views align: who we feel we are, who we want to be and who we really are, and when we manage to become who we know we can be, that is where we find happiness”. I love this quote.

Remember: one day your life will flash before your eyes - make sure it’s worth watching.