To whom it may concern and for those of you who care,
I'm certain that I've entered the echo chamber here with what I'm about to suggest, but it doesn't mean that repetition is necessarily unfruitful or unnecessary.
The question is of the affordability of sustainability; to further narrow the focus, I'm talking about the economic burden on the average person, of the current wave of environmentalism. Frequently, when espousing the merits of sustainable living habits, one is encountered by those who shun the supposedly undesirable financial burden placed on the individual and the somewhat dubious honour and responsibility of being responsible for the impact they have on this home of ours.
We've all heard this before:
If you believe the previous responses to be rational and reasonable responses to the suggestion of individual responsibility, I only have one question for you:
I'm not an ideologue and I won't use abstract theories to convince the average, disinterested person of the error of their ways, because it's absolutely useless to do so and completely disheartening. These things we've all heard before and one knows how bothersome it must be to have pronouncements handed down by some holier-than-thou researcher or politician, sitting high up in their ivory tower. Leave it up to the scientists, the engineers, the innovators to improve the situation for which we are all responsible, but don't be afraid to be brave and courageous by doing the right thing: imagine that individual accountability is desirable, possible and necessary. Cherish these ideas. Don't continue to propagate a downward spiral of reinforced negativity. Who cares what others refuse to do? Just know that your own existence is conducive to your individual and our mutual success.
If you want to be treated as adults, start acting like one should. Until then, if you continue to act such as children, I'll keep treating you as one. If you don't believe that change starts with you, I'm certainly not going to feign naive surprise and pretend that I simply can't comprehend your collective ignorance, because it's an undeniable trend throughout human history that we're lead by innovators and dynamic thinkers but that the large mass of us are cattle, waiting to be blindly led around from dusk until dawn and only stop to worry about a problem if it stays around for long enough to bite us in the ass. You may not think that change starts with you, but it definitely starts with me. I don't mind leading you to our collective salvation just as my enemies were about to lead you off the edge.
The legacy of those before us who would lead us to such great heights is now protected by those who are afraid to change.
It's time for a course correction, people.
I'm certain that I've entered the echo chamber here with what I'm about to suggest, but it doesn't mean that repetition is necessarily unfruitful or unnecessary.
The question is of the affordability of sustainability; to further narrow the focus, I'm talking about the economic burden on the average person, of the current wave of environmentalism. Frequently, when espousing the merits of sustainable living habits, one is encountered by those who shun the supposedly undesirable financial burden placed on the individual and the somewhat dubious honour and responsibility of being responsible for the impact they have on this home of ours.
We've all heard this before:
"How can we afford to be responsible for change? Shouldn't the government employ some sort of strategy or scheme to handle the details for us?"
"These products cost more"
"I can't afford to spend this time, money and energy on using more energy efficient products and it shouldn't be expected of me to alter my lifestyle to such extremes. I'm comfortable the way I am."
Etc... ad nauseum
If you believe the previous responses to be rational and reasonable responses to the suggestion of individual responsibility, I only have one question for you:
WHY NOT CONSERVE?
That's it. What good reason can you put forth to absolve yourself of any culpability in this matter? Ever heard of not shitting in your own pond? Well, that surely applies in this case. The citizens of the industrialised states seem to have forgotten that, while we have developed sewage treatment facilities and other waste management systems, this planet is one large ecosystem and there is a threshold beyond which we cannot return; in fact, we may have already breached it. Why not do as much as possible to avoid unnecessary waste, to promote individual efficiency, to consume as much as is necessary. Wouldn't this be a thing in which to take pride? Striking a balance with the planet and forging existence from it while ensuring that future generations will have something to preserve is not some lofty goal that requires immense analysis and imagination to comprehend or appreciate. It's a thing so close to my heart that I can feel it in my every waking hour. I am human and I intend to live in a way that is commensurate to the furtherance and success of my species; moreover, in the immediate sense, I need a place for my potential offspring to thrive in. How can we afford not to change? How did conservation become such a radical notion?
It's not my intent to harp on the everyman and remind him of his ignorance or to suggest that people should feel bad for their lack of imagination. I understand that people want to believe they're simply content in living their lives and putting in a good days work, however that argument isn't playing out very well with me. Surely, it's not a bad thing for people to be happy living a small life, in fact it's that to which I believe we should all aspire. Minimum impact, a small footprint is an ideal goal to behold. However, we seem to forget that we are a collective and collectively we have an impact. Just as your liver can not withstand excessive and prolonged consumption of alcohol, our home cannot forever be expected to absorb the waste created by our grandiose and rather self congratulatory and indulgent consumption without being given time to complete it's cycle.
It's not my intent to harp on the everyman and remind him of his ignorance or to suggest that people should feel bad for their lack of imagination. I understand that people want to believe they're simply content in living their lives and putting in a good days work, however that argument isn't playing out very well with me. Surely, it's not a bad thing for people to be happy living a small life, in fact it's that to which I believe we should all aspire. Minimum impact, a small footprint is an ideal goal to behold. However, we seem to forget that we are a collective and collectively we have an impact. Just as your liver can not withstand excessive and prolonged consumption of alcohol, our home cannot forever be expected to absorb the waste created by our grandiose and rather self congratulatory and indulgent consumption without being given time to complete it's cycle.
I'm not an ideologue and I won't use abstract theories to convince the average, disinterested person of the error of their ways, because it's absolutely useless to do so and completely disheartening. These things we've all heard before and one knows how bothersome it must be to have pronouncements handed down by some holier-than-thou researcher or politician, sitting high up in their ivory tower. Leave it up to the scientists, the engineers, the innovators to improve the situation for which we are all responsible, but don't be afraid to be brave and courageous by doing the right thing: imagine that individual accountability is desirable, possible and necessary. Cherish these ideas. Don't continue to propagate a downward spiral of reinforced negativity. Who cares what others refuse to do? Just know that your own existence is conducive to your individual and our mutual success.
If you want to be treated as adults, start acting like one should. Until then, if you continue to act such as children, I'll keep treating you as one. If you don't believe that change starts with you, I'm certainly not going to feign naive surprise and pretend that I simply can't comprehend your collective ignorance, because it's an undeniable trend throughout human history that we're lead by innovators and dynamic thinkers but that the large mass of us are cattle, waiting to be blindly led around from dusk until dawn and only stop to worry about a problem if it stays around for long enough to bite us in the ass. You may not think that change starts with you, but it definitely starts with me. I don't mind leading you to our collective salvation just as my enemies were about to lead you off the edge.
The legacy of those before us who would lead us to such great heights is now protected by those who are afraid to change.
It's time for a course correction, people.
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