How the liberation of living more sustainably feels
Want to know what living more sustainably feels like?
Our culture is so dependent and addicted to things like takeout, cars, and flying that pollution and depletion enable, we forget that using them destroys life, liberty, and property. We don’t notice that our government benefits and grows in money and power from licensing and promoting one of its few core responsibilities nearly everyone agrees on. We don’t notice that they have corrupted us from our deepest values, such as the Golden Rule, as far as I know found in every culture we’ve looked at.
Living more sustainably brings mental freedom from the internal contradictions of living contrary to our values. Corruption doesn’t feel good. I know from experience. I lived in accordance with mainstream culture for most of my life.
To describe what living more sustainably feels like, imagine one morning you walk out from your home and step into a puddle, drenching your feet. Imagine further that you’re in such a hurry that you don’t have time to change so you end up wearing wet socks the entire day.
Living more sustainably is like taking off wet socks that have been making you miserable all day, the awareness of which you tried to repress but you never did. It’s like that but many times stronger. It feels like freedom and liberation.
Now that I think of it, that illustration misses the newfound love I practice and feel for all people whom I would otherwise harm with impunity.
EDIT: I followed up this post a few weeks later with More on “How the liberation of living more sustainably feels”.
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