How to Help People be More Environmentally Friendly
by Are you trying to encourage others to take up a green lifestyle? Are your methods winning others over, or scaring them away?
Most people have had some sort of contact with a Green Crusader who not only tries to force everyone to conform to their definition of being Green, but, appear to want that “going green” to hurt. They proclaim, or grumble, “If it doesn’t hurt, you’re not doing it right.”, or they bask in the egotistical pride of their personal suffering to live a Green Lifestyle. People like that are perhaps a bigger threat than those who refuse to adopt a Green Lifestyle.
Adopting a Green Lifestyle is more about finding alternatives for things that people already do than having them conform to the myopic moral, or ethical beliefs, of certain sub-cultures or individuals. Some people, or certain sub-cultures, think that by deceptively linking their beliefs to living a Green Lifestyle they can some how force a shift to their respective belief systems or personal beliefs. However, all this deception really succeeds at is creating barriers that inhibit the adoption of a Green Lifestyle by those who view these various sub-cultures, or individuals, negatively. Some individuals acting for these sub-cultures have psychological issues that get in the way of promoting Green Living in a rational or effective way.
It’s Our Future, Not a Sado-Masochistic Fetish Ball
The sub-culture of Sado-Masochism is not among the sub-cultures I was referring to previously. Unfortunately some in those respective myopic sub-cultures, and select individuals, inappropriately behave as if Going Green is a Sado-Masochistic Fetish Ball. For the purpose of this article I need to shift focus to two types of people for a moment.
First, there are those people who sit in condemnation of others while admiring the glory of their own suffering in name of the planet. These people have obvious psychological issues and as such should seek professional help. I am being completely serious about this, and would like to ask everyone who is excessively involved in promoting a Green Lifestyle to exam themselves truthfully to see if they are exhibiting signs of this illness. Inwardly you my believe yourself to be helping the Green Cause, however, outwardly you may be hindering it. Most people in the world do not like egotistical masochists.
The other type of people are liked even less, these are the egotistical sadists. These people are often psychologically ill, or misguided, they believe that every change has to hurt. They love to inflict pain, physical or mental, on others as they attempt to instruct them on living Green. I think this type of behavior, when not consensual, needs to be viewed, as and dealt with, like any other form of abuse.
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Post CommentJC LeSinge
On March 21, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Are you blind? Of course it’s going to hurt, but not for arbitrary moral or ideological reasons. It will hurt because a change to ecological sustainability will cut into profit margins of big business, and they will defray their costs onto us, the consumers. That’s the ideology of capitalism; e-mail Alan Greenspan and ask him.
The idea that people try to couple Green issues with other politics is also overly simplistic. The only daft ideology flying around at the moment is the Liberal Capitalist notion that Green issues are isolated and a-political. Our current environmental problems did not ‘just happen’; they are the inevitable results of a system based on exploitation and over production.
Brenda
On March 21, 2008 at 8:44 pm
to the other persons comment…
true, the problems did NOT “just happen” but that is no reason not to fix them. Business’s need to change.. they just dont want to. Other businesses will succeed and gain wealth.
Alot of people like to say the Economy will suffer if we go Green, but that is not the truth.
Mark Gordon Brown
On March 26, 2008 at 1:27 pm
In response to J.C.
Capitalism is not “the” or even “an” enemy to global sustainability. Greed in capitalism is “an” enemy, but, not the only enemy. Capitalism can actually be a beneficial tool for creating global sustainability and abundance for all.
Such labels as “Liberal Capitalist” mean nothing to me. Just another stereotype people choose on impose on others or themselves. Stereotypes imposed or chosen only cloud things and like morals or ethics hinder progress and a healthy evolution of humanity.
Capitalism has existed since pre-historic times. Bartering for tools or beads was a form of capitalism. Capitalism allows people to progress beyond the social status of their birth in modern times in countries that are void of Monarchs, and Theocrates, and in countries that are void of party leaders who force their populas to live simply while they sip vodka and watch “evil” Charlie Chaplin films.
Capitalism is actually a bigger part of the solution to global issues than people understand. Once people get past the “all the marbles” Greed-based Capitalism (which is really not capitalism) and unto understanding the capitalism depends on abundance for all to continue and grow, combined with using capitalism as a tool for sustainability, then this world and humanity will be on a path of positive evolution.
What we see in the world now is not Capitalism it’s just a mask seemingly fallen Monarchs wear to cover their monopolies. The war between “Liberals” and “Conservatives” is just a scripted ongoing event to keep those two sides from realizing what and who the real problems are. Solution is simple. Stop being a part of the “Liberals vs Conservatives” play. Once you are not in that perpetual battle your eyes will open up and the problems and solutions will become crystal clear. Real simple.