I was not always concerned with living a sustainable life, and thus I must assume that others have not always been concerned and may not ever be concerned. So how have I changed? That is a personal question that has many answers that I shall not explore at the moment, but I believe sustainable development and the idea of living a 'purer' life is empowering to individuals. Arguably the objective of an individuals life can be defined as the search of purity, understanding and purpose. So how can we link empowerment to sustainability?
By choosing to not drive a car which emits dangerous gases gives me purpose. To choose to become vegan in order to maintain agricultural land for staple foods in poorer countries and for the nourishment of fertile land can make an individual feel meaning in their life. To say no to the majority, and feel strong and confident that what they are doing is beneficial to humanity is empowering to an individual and will surely lead them to a happier life. So, in my opinion, empowering and giving people the happiness and satisfaction from knowing they are doing the right thing is something which is important when considering sustainable development. Empowerment can help society to become more sustainable and may even lead to other benefits, such as reduced crime, higher happiness ratings and increased communal spirit and productivity.
What this subject does reveal though is something quite worrying about the way our society has organised itself. As individuals, do we live our lives by what we know is right, or what we are told is right? How do we know what is right and wrong? And how do we ensure that sustainability, on all levels of society and for all individuals, is considered the right thing to do and the empowering thing to do?
Empowerment should be taught in schools and sustainability should not be seen as an alternative for development, but as the logical way in which we will develop. This leads me to my next post. Thank you for reading.
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