One of my friends commented that here I am again talking about psychological sustainability instead of technological sustainability. Yes, I am. Until we come to terms with the problems of using inappropriate technology we will continue to degrade and poison the environment no matter how ‘green’ we might like to believe any technology might be. Aldo Leopold in the 1940s made a big deal of this in his writings and especially his book A Sand County Almanac where he introduced his concept of ‘The Land Ethic (see link1).’ This also brings in my research finding of symbolic beliefs, where people espouse one kind of belief, but act oppositely overall without any apparent cognitive dissonance (see link2). An example of this is how a lot of people are sanctimoniously ‘environmental’ and practice a few environmental actions, but still live a hyper-consumer lifestyle. Its back to Item number one again – Mindfulness.
There is talk about a lot of ethical aspects needed to heal the world and humanity’s place within it. But like my population categorization of ‘Logical Idealists’ (see link3) a large group of people who ethically want to see sustainability change occur are still locked into the consumer lifestyle. This can all be understood through understanding of personal intrinsic beliefs. Let me explain further about ethics and morality.
An ethical person may recognize right and wrong but may not always act accordingly, often being influenced by external beliefs that may contradict intrinsic beliefs. A moral person, however, acts consistently with their ethical principles and intrinsic beliefs, thus demonstrating personal integrity and empathy in their actions. Morality encompasses a range of values such as honesty, fairness, and compassion, which guide moral behavior. Understanding the difference is crucial, as moral behavior is often seen as a reflection of integrity in one’s character and values, while ethical behavior is often guided by societal norms and rules. In summary, while both concepts are interconnected, they represent different aspects of human behavior and decision-making based on external or intrinsic values being expressed.
So how do you know the difference? Think about this for a moment. One way to recognize intrinsic values from conditioned values is looking at your first reaction whenever anything triggers you – usually a judgment – good or bad of some kind. Your brain reacts from a place of self-preservation and is an instant reaction. If you are self-aware and give yourself a second or two, you will notice a second thought that is less judgmental. That is the core values coming to the surface based on your intrinsic values, which are part of your higher brain cortex with its emotional regulation – the part you think form when you are not in reactive fight or flight mode.
Intrinsic values can be categorized them into three basic groups (see link4).
- Those about the self;
- Those about the community, which are basically individuals that are special to you in some way, like your friends or family;
- Universal ones that don’t relate to yourself or the community, but are part of your higher ideals about life.
Extrinsic values, however, are more utility based when considering practical goals and outcomes. Intrinsic values are usually connected with moral and ethical considerations, and I might add, come from our authentic selves. They include things like happiness, knowledge, beauty, justice, and the sanctity of life, which can be humanistic or ecological. Things that can have value in themselves, not just for their practical benefits. Notably, in modern society it is the extrinsic values used when considering technology – “is it practical and economically expedient?” rather than the intrinsic values of “is it good for the health of life and the planet?”
You might think you are self-aware and make rational decisions, based on your intrinsic values, all the time. When you are consciously mindful then that may be true. But, don’t forget item number two – the metrics we use to make societal decision – the economic ones. We live in a society that has taken the ‘Illusion of Choice’ to unbelievable heights of absurdity. Sadly, unless you consciously make the effort to think mindfully, you’ll run on autopilot that is controlled by your unconscious conditioning. And the autopilot is where the economic material-consumer marketers excel at their work.
“Socrates said, ‘The misuse of language induces evil in the soul.’ He wasn’t talking about grammar. To misuse language is to use it the way politicians and advertisers do, for profit, without taking responsibility for what the words mean. Language used as a means to get power or make money goes wrong: it lies. Language used as an end in itself, to sing a poem or tell a story, goes right, goes towards the truth. A writer is a person who cares what words mean, what they say, how they say it. Writers know words are their way towards truth and freedom, and so they use them with care, with thought, with fear, with delight. By using words well, they strengthen their souls. Story-tellers and poets spend their lives learning that skill and art of using words well. And their words make the souls of their readers stronger, brighter, deeper” Ursula K. Le Guin.
Marketers (and politicians also working for the hierarchical powers) on the other hand use words to deceive, mislead, and capture our minds in surreptitious ways that economically enslave, instead of liberating us. Even if you have money, you are still captive to this enslaving system. I recommend the short video that outlines the ‘The Illusion of Choice’ – How Marketers Guide Your Decisions Without You Realizing it. This is the illusion of choice — the art and science of guiding your decisions while making you feel in control. The roots of this strategy go deep into psychology and behavioral economics. A sustainable future cannot occur until we wake up and mindfully make decisions from our intrinsic values reflecting our authentic selves. The great healing is about us, which then extends to the rest of the planet.
“In the 1970s, researchers Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman discovered that humans rarely make purely rational decisions. We rely on cognitive shortcuts called heuristics, which can be influenced by how choices are presented. Marketers learned quickly that if you frame options in the right way, you can steer people’s decisions without them noticing…The illusion of choice is not inherently evil. It can be used to promote good habits, such as placing fruit at eye level in school cafeterias or encouraging renewable energy use by making it the default option in utility plans. But in the hands of corporations whose only goal is profit, it becomes a silent form of manipulation that shapes our spending habits, lifestyle preferences, and even political opinions… Because in the illusion of choice, the freedom you feel is often the most convincing part of the trap.”
The USA seems to live the most egregious hyper-consumer lifestyle; but the rest of the developed world, while a little better, is still in hyper-consumer mode as well. This recent Facebook post about the USA says it clearly: “When this nightmare finally ends, America better take a long hard look in the mirror and stop running itself ragged in this pathetically endless rat race. Not everything has to be about grinding, hustling, and worshipping profit like it’s a god. Look at parts of Europe—Spain, Italy, France—they’ll literally shut down shop midday so people can eat a long lunch, take a nap, actually live a little. They take real holidays. They’ve got healthcare. They don’t wear “I haven’t slept in three days” or “I worked 70 hours this week” like a badge of honor. Meanwhile in America, we work ourselves half to death, choke down lunch at our desks, pop ibuprofen for stress headaches, and call it “freedom.” Why the hell would anyone want to live like this? What are we even clinging to—bragging rights for being the most overworked, debt-strangled, stressed-out country on the planet? That’s not greatness. That’s just straight-up masochism“ Oliver Kornetzke. How many of you not in the USA still identify with most aspects of this Facebook post?
To Be Continued ………………….
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