218: To Those Who Say They Can’t Stop Polluting

September 16, 2019 by Joshua
in Podcast

A friend told me the other day that while I could reduce flying, business people couldn’t. It’s not so easy for them, actually impossible.

Did he forget that I have an MBA? That I started a business with an 8-digit valuation, that operated on four continents? That nearly everyone I know flies as a matter of course? Did he not imagine the work I turned down?

More likely he didn’t think about it. This morning I woke up before the alarm and though about his perspective.

The overwhelming response to my suggesting that people can reduce their pollution—a statement of empowerment—is claims of helplessness. Also claims of some solidarity with other helpless people.

Today’s episode both savagely and, I believe, with empathy and compassion, attacks these false excuses.

The trees burning in the picture are in the Amazon, the results of a system our money drives. More details in the episode.

The bottom line: more than anything else, I’m talking about empowerment. The results of acting are community, joy, discovery, personal growth, love, family, and so on. That’s what stewardship brings, what you can create more of. Starting the shift is hard, yes, but the results of living by your values are your values.

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