Talk about acting more sustainably and people act like it’s hard. When they say “you have to make it easy for people,” they mean you have to make it easy for them.
They’re saying that they won’t change, but hiding their intent, acting like they’re just doing what everyone else does.
And if all you do is make it easier, it will never be easy enough for them. If you’re looking for extrinsic motivation, you’ll never overcome inertia in the form of comfort and convenience. You’ll never feel inspired or fulfilled either. Just empty.
If you’re polluting, depleting, and neglecting stewardship, it’s worth challenging yourself. You’ll be glad you did afterward.
No, you don’t have to make it “easy”. But you do have to make it attractive. Hardly anyone is going to endure a more difficult life just to make the planet livable for future generations. Especially if they are doing it on their own. You need to start a new religion, promise eternal bliss or something. Then you might get enough people on board to make a difference.
I try to live simply mainly because it is fun. I enjoy the challenge of it. The easy life is a boring life. Most people pollute and consume mainly because they are on auto-pilot. They never consider the emptiness of their lives. They need people like us to show the way; to model a different way of living.
Sometimes a few people choose to swim upstream and overcome challenges in ways that help others feel they’re swimming downstream.