Category Archives: Nonjudgment

“I never had a more optimistic outlook than when things were going to shit,” said my friend about suffering a debilitating disease

on January 10, 2025 in Nonjudgment

A friend reminded me of a life lesson we could all use in facing our environmental symptoms. In her words: “I never had a more optimistic outlook than when things were going to shit.”

Disposable means imperialist. So does polluting.

on December 30, 2024 in Freedom, Nature, Nonjudgment

The dictionary defines imperialism as: The policy, practice, or advocacy of extending the power and dominion of a nation especially by direct territorial acquisitions or by gaining indirect control over the political or economic life of other areas. Making something disposable means when you’re done with it, you put it into someone else’s space. Likewise with pollution. In principle, if the disposable thing biodegrades, it might decompose, but most disposable[…] Keep reading →

“They blame me for their guilt”

on December 28, 2024 in Nonjudgment

I heard someone speaking on nature conservation. After he spoke someone in the audience described how people who promote conservation in words but don’t practice it in deed often call people who also practice it pushing too hard, too self-righteous, or the like. The speaker responded: “Yes, they blame me for their guilt.” The statement rang true. People acting against their own values feel guilty not because others who act[…] Keep reading →

Why should Exxon become more sustainable but not you?

on December 14, 2024 in Leadership, Nonjudgment

To all of you out there who say that polluting companies should pollute less, if you pollute an unsustainable amount—that is, 20 percent of what the average American does—why should they change an not you? It’s tempting to say that since they pollute so much, they should stop more, but first: they aren’t polluting for the sake of polluting. They are serving customers who pay them, including you. Second, if[…] Keep reading →

One of the most challenging parts of living more sustainably: other people bragging and showing off nonsense they think is “green”

on November 15, 2024 in Nonjudgment

If you think living in an apartment disconnected from the electric grid in Manhattan is hard, you haven’t had to deal with talking to people about sustainability when you’re doing it. People seem compelled to tell me their half-assed “sustainability” practices, nearly always self-righteously, as it they want my approval. I don’t look forward to people bragging, even less when their bragging doesn’t follow from whatever half-assed thing they did.[…] Keep reading →

“Have you learned to love not flying?”

on November 9, 2024 in Nonjudgment, Tips

I’m always working on more effective ways to lead on sustainability. Recall my definition of leadership: helping people do what they already wanted to but haven’t figured out how. To help others, I have to learn what they want, the opposite of opposing my values on them. Most people I ask tell me they support sustainability and are doing their best. They seem to think they aren’t anywhere close to[…] Keep reading →

Why do liberals consider political views they disagree with “wrong” but different skin colors and sexual preferences “diverse”?

on October 4, 2024 in Awareness, Models, Nonjudgment

People are going to read their preconceptions into what I’m asking, so if my question of this post seems provocative or you think it implies I’m promoting or espousing views, you’re misreading. There’s a pattern I see often. One example was last weekend at an alumni event at Columbia University. Former US Attorney General Eric Holder spoke. He’s a Democrat and liberal. As best I can tell, so were most[…] Keep reading →

My functional new word: Enlightendigenous

on September 19, 2024 in Education, Nonjudgment

In my book I talk about something that people respond with knee-jerk sayings that show they don’t know what they’re talking about because they hurt their own cause. Still, they can’t stop themselves from being know-it-alls and saying it. I found a way to fix the problem with a new word. The problem response comes when I mention Enlightenment values of (according to Steven Pinker) “reason, science, humanism, and progress”[…] Keep reading →

An anonymous reader: Your “immense privilege that seems to be lurking behind this wall of intellectual masturbation”

on September 18, 2024 in Addiction, Nonjudgment

I’ve meant to post about this response from a reader to my post fro March 2022: Year 7, day 1 without flying, seeing our cultural and individual addictions. I’m not sure how to respond, but I know this site has a bug that doesn’t always show comments and didn’t want people to miss it. One big point I’ve realized since that post is that I have to clarify I don’t[…] Keep reading →

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