What a tragic idea and yet it is one that many people have believed to be true for thousands, or perhaps hundreds of thousands of years.

It is an idea that has been bothering me for quite some time amid the Western world’s apparent fixation with all things eco-friendly, not because I have any objection to it, but in fact, the opposite.

So, when I open my social media accounts and am met with incessant adverts for “waterproof” stationery, the latest stock from certain fast fashion companies or videos revealing celebrities after undergoing what could be described as modern-day mummification (i.e. unnecessary cosmetic surgery), I feel a just a bit more uncomfortable with the way the world has been operating.

Adding to this, the seemingly endless talk of the latest eco-conscious buzzwords, trends and (at the most extreme) protests around our major cities have been rubbed shamelessly into our faces, almost to the point where we may have ceased to care altogether about whether the world can be saved or not.

Then, on my way through Terminal 1 at Dublin Airport about a year ago, I came across a very chic-looking shop which happened to stock stationery from Badly Made Books (www.badlymadebooks.com).

An Irish company based in County Cork, they pride themselves on creating notebooks using recycled paper and have at least pledged to uphold practices which make their product and business more waste-conscious and sustainable for their respective industry.

Being a rather picky person when it comes to stationery, I didn’t think much of their product at first glance. But I allow myself to be a bit childlike in my selection process – I like to pick things up, scan them for intricate details, run my fingers along the cover to test it against my irrational sensitivity to certain textures. So, I found great delight in inspecting a blank notebook of theirs more closely.

The cover was a card with a photograph – a mossy stone wall with ferns growing out of it. The brown paper belt had been ripped open, so I read the inside details – a bit about the photographer, a bit about the used coffee cups which seemed to be speaking to me from beyond the paper bin grave. I knew I had found a new favourite. The only downside from my perspective was the price, but I was more than willing to invest in something which several people had lovingly invested their time, skills and energy into making.

I filled that first notebook cover to cover with my ideas and thoughts – good, bad or indifferent. I even managed to find a second use for the cover as part of a mixed media collage in my spare time!

So, why am I raving about Badly Made Books?

For the same reasons which motivated me to write this reflection. This company knows that their product is not made to last. It is paper after all and paper is easily torn, stained and will eventually break down. However, they also surely see the incredible though fragile beauty in its finiteness.

It is something that I see fewer and fewer people appreciate the more technologically advanced the world is becoming – the more driven we are to live longer, delay old age and yet try to consume more, do more, be more, or even save more.

Will we really be content with living forever young like Peter Pan?

Or would we be better off if we took the words from Genesis 3:19 more seriously?